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REESE    LIBRARY 

01     THK 

UNIVERSITY   OF   CALIFORNIA, 

'keceh  -ed  . .  ^vt&etjes      /  •  ^  ^ 

& 
Accessions  No.  ^r~T^^j6  *^    Shelf  No. . . 


f 


THE 


GENIUS    AND    DESIGN 

OF   THE 

DOMESTIC  CONSTITUTION, 

WITH    ITS 

UNTRANSFERABLE  OBLIGATIONS 

AKD 

PECULIAR  ADVANTAGES. 


BY  CHRISTOPHER  ANDERSON. 


Respicef  Aspice,  -Pfospico. 
Quicquid  fieri  potuit,  potest. 


JTro 


Sl' 

35Bftfon. 


BOSTON: 

PERKINS,    MARVIN    &   CO.,    AWD    WILLIAM    PEIRCE. 

NEW   YORK:     LEAVITT,   LORD   &   CO. 

PHILADELPHIA:    HENRY  PERKINS. 

1834. 


INTRODUCTORY  NOTICE 


ONE  of  the  most  favorable  indications  of  the  present 
period  is  the  fact,  that  so  much  attention  is  directed  to  the 
consideration  of  domestic  relations  and  duties.  The  pro- 
minent feature  of  the  dreadful  degeneracy  which  Malachi 
and  other  prophets  foretold  would  prevail  among  God's 
ancient  covenant  people,  just  before  the  coming  of  the 
Messiah,  and  bring  the  desolating  curse  of  Heaven  upon 
them,  if  not  reformed,  was  the  alienation  of  parents  from 
their  children,  and  of  children  from  their  parents — the 
general  neglect  of  domestic  obligations  and  duties,  Mai. 
iv.  6.  And  the  way  in  which  the  nation  was  to  be  res- 
pited from  deserved  and  impending  destruction,  was  by 
'turning  the  heart  of  the  fathers  to  the  children,  and  the 
heart  of  the  children  to  their  fathers' — bringing  back  the 
people  to  a  degree  of  proper  attention  to  domestic  obliga* 
tions  and  duties,  'lest  Jehovah  should  come  arid  smite  the 
land  with  a  curse.' 

And  who  that  is  informed  in  regard  to  the  calamities 
with  which  a  righteous  Providence  has  visited  certain 
nations  in  modern  times,  and  in  regard  to  the  state  of 
degeneracy  into  which  domestic  society  had  sunk  in  those 
nations,  does  not  see  that  the  principle  involved  is  appli- 
cable to  all  nations,  in  all  ages? 


jv  INTRODUCTORY  NOTICE. 

How  important,  then,  the  domestic  constitution?  The 
FAMILY,  more  emphatically  than  any  other  social  organi- 
zation, except  the  Church,  is  God's  own  production.  He 
himself  directly  ordained  it,  and  has  ever  shown  to  it  a 
special  regard.  No  other  constitution  of  which  we  have 
any  knowledge  is  so  exact  a  similitude  of  his  own  moral 
government.  Though,  in  every  instance  of  its  existence, 
itself  brief  and  transitory,  and  to  cease  with  the  last 
generation  of  men  on  the  earth,  its  influences  go  down, 
from  generation  to  generation  and  from  age  to  age,  into 
and  all  along  the  ages  of  eternity.  They,  more  than  any 
other,  commonly,  form  the  future  man  and  woman,  and 
direct  their  influences,  in  their  various  relations,  and  on 
succeeding  generations;  and  effect  their  eternal  condition, 
and  their  influence  on  the  eternity  of  others  from  genera- 
tion to  generation.  It  is,  in  its  Author's  design,  the  grand 
instrument  of  making  men  and  women  happy  and  useful 
in  all  the  circumstances  and  relations  of  life,  and  happy 
and  useful  in  His  moral  kingdom  forever.  And  how 
dreadfully  reverse  in  the  results,  when  its  design  is  frus- 
trated, no  tongue  of  mortal  can  tell — eternity  alone  will 
disclose. 

How  vitally  important,  then,  to  every  child,  and  brother 
and  sister,  and  employer  and  domestic,  and  especially  to 
every  parent,  to  understand  the  nature  and  influences,  the 
responsibilities  and  duties,  of  this  constitution.  In  this 
view,  it  is  matter  of  congratulation  that  such  works  as 
the  Family  Monitor,  the  Mother  at  Home,  the  Child  at 
Home,  are  published  in  such  quick  succession,  and  so 
extensively  read.  These  works  exhibit,  in  an  instructive 
and  interesting  manner,  the  details  of  the  obligations  and 
duties  of  the  various  family  relations.  In  connection  with 
them  there  is  wanting,  to  be  read  and  studied,  an  exhibition 
of  the  principles  on  which  those  obligations  and  duties  rest, 
and  by  which  they  are  enforced.  To  exhibit  these  is  the 


INTRODUCTORY  NOTICE.  V 

design  of  the  following  treatise.  And  this  most  important 
design  its  author  has  ably  and  successfully  accomplished. 
A  bare  inspection  of  the  table  of  contents  will  show  that 
the  discussions  in  the  work  are  fundamental.  Its  exhibi- 
tions are  eminently  scriptural,  presenting  a  richness  and 
variety  of  illustration,  drawn  from  that  inexhaustible  store- 
house, often  new,  and  always  pleasing  and  instructive. 
Its  reasonings  are  sober  and  conclusive;  its  appeals  to 
observation  and  experience  just  and  convincing.  Its 
style,  though  not  elegant,  is  not  repulsive.  To  thinking 
persons,  both  its  argument  and  its  style  will  be  acceptable, 
and  its  conclusions  and  counsels  highly  satisfactory. 

If  some  of  the  remarks,  particularly  in  Part  I.  Sect.  7, 
and  Part  II.  Sect.  4,  should  be  thought,  at  first  view,  to 
have  an  unfavorable  bearing  on  a  portion  at  least  of  the 
Sabbath  school  and  other  kindred  efforts  of  the  present 
day,  a  closer  examination  will  show  that  this  is  not  their 
design.  They  are  directed  to  plans  and  efforts  which 
would  supersede  the  responsibilities  and  duties  of  the 
parental  relation.  Sabbath  school  and  other  kindred 
efforts,  when  properly  regarded  and  applied,  are  helps 
to  the  discharge  of  those  duties  and  responsibilities.  If 
intended,  in  any  instance,  or  allowed,  to  supersede  them, 
they  are  so  far  justly  liable  to  the  censure  expressed,  and 
which  was  designed  by  the  author  for  other  plans  and 
efforts,  in  their  nature  of  such  an  unhappy  tendency. 
The  remarks  referred  to  may  also  excite  profitable  reflec- 
tion and  inquiry  whether,  while  our  exertions  for  the 
intellectual  and  moral  improvement  of  the  mass  of  the 
children  of  the  ignorant  and  irreligious  portions  of  the 
community  are  not  remitted,  but  prosecuted  with  increased 
vigor,  more  direct  attention  should  not  be  given  to  the 
parents  of  such  children,  that  the  order >  and  thus  more 
effectually  the  reality,  of  the  divine  prediction  may  be 
secured,  'He  shall  turn  the  heart  of  the  fathers  to  the; 


vi  INTRODUCTORY  NOTICE. 

children,  and  the  heart  of  the  children  to  their  fathers;' 
and  thus  'make  ready  a  people  prepared  for  the  Lord.' 

The  volume  which  it  is  the  object  of  these  remarks  to 
introduce  to  the  American  public  is  a  very  able  discussion 
of  a  most  important  subject,  nowhere  else,  within  my 
knowledge,  treated  in  the  same  radical  and  thorough 
manner.  It  is  eminently  adapted  to  be  useful;  and  I 
cannot  but  hope  that  it  will  be  highly  acceptable,  es- 
pecially to  those  sustaining  the  solemn  and  weighty  re- 
sponsibilities of  the  parental  relation. 

B.  B.  WISNER. 

Boston,  May,  1834. 


SOME  individuals,  who  have  professed  to  look  deeply  into  the 
structure  of  human  society,  tell  us  that  analogy  has  much  in  store 
for  man ;  because,  though  it  is  not  infallible,  it  is  that  powerful 
engine  or  telescope  of  the  mind,  by  which  it  is  marvellously  assisted 
in  the  discovery  of  both  physical  and  moral  truth.  The  great  ex- 
pectations which  are  entertained,  they  would  found  upon  the  extra- 
ordinary discoveries  which  have  been  made  in  physics,  under  the 
guidance  of  analogy  :  that  powerful  engine,  they  say,  in  the  mind 
of  a  Newton,  having  discovered  to  us  the  laws  of  other  woilds ;  and 
in  that  of  Columbus,  having  put  us  in  full  possession  of  our  own. 
"  Shall  some  discoveries  in  physics,"  it  has  then  been  said,  "be  so 
important  as  to  produce  a  complete  revolution  in  society,  and  others 
so  powerful,  that  the  very  inventors  of  them  have  not  as  yet  dared 
to  apply  them;  and  shall  not  discoveries  in  morals  be  allowed  a  still 
more  paramount  and  universal  influence — an  influence  the  greater 
in  proportion  as  matter  is  inferior  to  mind  ?  "  Under  the  influence 
of  these  anticipations,  says  the  same  individual,  "  I  foresee  the 
period  when  some  new  and  parent  idea  in  morals,  the  matrix  of  a 
better  order  of  things,  shall  reconcile  us  more  completely  to  God,  to 
nature,  and  to  ourselves." 

Between  discoveries  in  physics,  and,  what  have  been  called, 
morals,  there  is,  unquestionably,  one  strong  analogy — that  they  are 
new  only  to  us;  all  such  discoveries  being  merely  the  observation 
of  what  has  been  true,  from  the  beginning  of  the  creation.  To  this 
parent  idea  in  morals,  therefore,  many  will  not  object,  if  it  is  shown 
to  be  older  than  the  ages  of  nations  and  cities,  and  if  it  involves 
nothing  more  than  what  has  been  already  revealed  by  God  in  his 
word  ;  just  as  all  discoveries  in  physics,  though  not  sooner  observed, 
acquire  peculiar  interest  from  the  conviction,  that  the  same  objects 


viii  PREFACE. 

had  been  before  the  eyes  of  all  preceding  generations.  At  the  same 
time,  never  let  it  be  forgotten,,  that  there  is  one  material  distinction 
between,  not  only  the  investigation,  but  the  effects  of  discovery,  in 
physics  and  in  morals.  Discoveries  in  the  former  are  often  flatter- 
ing to  human  vanity,  and  conducive  to  the  comfort  or  convenience 
of  this  transitory  life  only.  Morals,  if  they  deserve  the  name,  carry 
us  above  the  starry  firmament,  and  point  beyond  the  grave ;  and  in 
morals,  since  man  has  thrown  off  his  allegiance  to  God,  any  dis- 
covery, if  we  may  so  speak,,  must  be  expected,  not  only  to  remind 
him  of  his  apostacy,  or  rebellious  disposition,  but  to  be  resisted  by 
all  the  vicious  propensities  of  our  nature ;  and  before  it  can  meet 
with  a  practical  attention,  it  must  be  accompanied  or  followed  by  an 
influence  from  above — precisely  the  same  quarter  from  whence  the 
Jlevelation  of  God  itself  has  come. 

Yes,  all  the  discoveries  which  man  can  make,  or  expect,  in  morals, 
are  already  before  his  eye,  in  the  pages  of  divine  revelation ;  and 
although  "  he  who  believes  the  Scripture  to  have  proceeded  from 
Him  who  is  the  Author  of  Nature,  may  well  expect  to  find  the  same 
sort  of  difficulties  in  it,  as  are  found  in  the  constitution  of  nature;  "* 
still  he  will  tell  you,  that,  as  the  Sun  and  the  Moon  have  been 
apparent  from  the  beginning,  to  every  man  endowed  with  eyesight, 
so  there  are  cardinal  truths  in  the  firmament  of  divine  revelation, 
to  which  every  enlightened  mind,  in  all  ages,  has  cordially  sub- 
scribed. But,  oh!  were  Christians,  under  the  power  of  a  docile 
spirit,  only  once  brought  to  bestow  but  the  same  patience  of  research 
on  that  blessed  Book,  which  the  astronomer,  and  naturalist,  or 
geologist,  have  done  upon  the  world  of  Nature,  then  would  they 
serve  their  generation  with  superior  effect  indeed,  and  leave  dis- 
coveries behind  them  too,  which  their  successors  might  follow  up, 
when  even  these  heavens  and  this  earth  were  no  more.  The  dis- 
covery of  only  one  fixed  star  interests  the  world,  and  points  the 
telescope  to  the  same  spot,  in  every  land  where  it  is  known  to  be 
visible  ;  but  Christians  in  general,  though  living  under  a  finer  light, 
and  placed  in  more  favorable  circumstances,  are,  alas  !  yet  far  from 
discovering,  as  they  ought,  a  deeper  and  more  general  sympathy  for 
discovery,  in  their  appropriate  sphere  of  research.  When  that  day 
arrives,  and  arrive  it  will,  benefits  will  accrue  to  man,  infinitely  su- 
perior to  any  which  have  resulted,  from  the  most  splendid  secret 
that  has  ever  been  evolved  from  the  firmament  of  heaven,  or  the 
bowels  of  the  earth ;  and  then  will  men  say — "  Thou  hast  magnified 

*  Origen. 


PREFACE.  it 

thy  word  above  all  thy  name."  Meanwhile,  such  a  spirit,  if  regu- 
lated by  appropriate  reverence,  and  caution,  and  patience,  or,  as  the 
Scriptures  themselves  would  express  it,  in  one  word,  by  the  '  fear 
of  the  Lord,'  would  certainly  lead  to  farther  discovery  of  the  '  hidden 
wonders '  in  divine  revelation ;  which,  even  after  all  that  have  been 
observed,  seem  to  be  still  as  numerous  as  the  stars  of  heaven. 
Then,  too,  would  many  a  Christian  find  it  not  impossible  to  give 
various  instances  in  proof,  "  that  as  the  north  star,  though  it  be  less 
luminous  than  many  others,  yet,  by  reason  of  its  position,  doth 
better  guide  the  pilot  than  even  the  moon  herself;  so  are  there  some 
texts  in  Scripture  which,  though  less  conspicuous  in  themselves, 
are,  by  reason  of  their  relation  to  a  context,  more  instructive  than 
other  more  radiant  passages."* 

Should  any  reader,  then,  be  in  pursuit  of  this  "  parent  idea  in 
morals,  this  matrix  of  a  better  older  of  things,"  let  him  feel  no  dis- 
appointment, though  he  should  hear  both  philosophy  and  ethics  say, 
it  is  not  in  us — or  human  sagacity,  it  is  not  in  me ;  for,  after  all, 
perhaps  he  may  find  it  within  the  narrow  compass  of  a  single 
human  dwelling,  where  the  Parent  has  lived  from  the  beginning. 
And  what  if  this  parent  idea  should  have  been  unfolded,  with  force 
and  perspicuity,  in  what  God  himself  hath  said,  respecting  this 
singular  little  group  of  immortal  beings?  At  all  events,  notwith- 
standing their  many  imperfections,  by  the  time  that  the  reader  has 
finished  these  pages,  perhaps  he  will  agree  with  the  writer,  that, 
however  slender  the  analogy,  when  once  the  analogy  which  does 
exist,  between  this  small  and  unpretending  Domestic  Constitution 
and  the  Divine  Government  itself,  is  more  deeply  studied,  and 
habitually  regarded,  we  shall  then,  and  not  till  then,  be  more  com- 
pletely reconciled  to  God,  to  nature,  and  ourselves. 

In  the  present  age,  much  has  been  said,  and  perhaps  as  much 
written,  respecting  improvements  in  Society,  with  comparatively  but 
slender  reference  to  the  neglect  of  Parental  Obligations,  and  the 
consequent  abatement  of  Parental  Authority — evils  for  which,  by 
the  will  of  God,  Parents  alone  are  responsible,  and  which  they  alone 
can  rectify  or  remove.  Every  inquiry  into  faction  and  disorder, 
degeneracy  in  morals  and  increase  of  crime,  must,  of  necessity,  prove 
essentially  defective,  which  does  not  embrace  them,  and  the  fulfil- 
ment or  neglect  of  their  obligations ;  for  to  whatever  other  expedi- 
ents men  may  betake  themselves,  it  is  from  the  Parents,  as  such, 
themselves  alone,  over  the  broad  surface  of  a  city  or  a  nation,  that 
the  restorative  or  remedy  is  to  be  sought  and  found. 

*  The  Honorable  Robert  Boyle. 


X  PREFACE. 

Institutions  may  be  formed  in  aid  of  their  neglect,  and  an  ar- 
tificial state  of  society  may,  for  a  time,  seem  to  be  very  pleasing, 
more  especially  since  it  is  of  man's  devising ;  but  however  kind  in 
its  intention,  and  benevolent  in  its  aspect,  all  such  aid  will,  in  the 
•end,  only  increase  the  appetite  for  help,  where  help  is  noxious, 
whenever  it  exceeds  advice  and  warning. 

Christianity,  in  its  progress,  it  is  true,  has,  in  every  land,  whether 
civilized  or  savage,  to  fight  every  inch  on  its  way  ;  but  still  it  com- 
ports with  enlightened  and  impartial  observation,  that  in  the  de- 
generacy or  neglect  of  domestic  duty,  and  the  relaxation  of  parental 
authority,  we  see  the  most  certain  tokens  of  a  nation  approaching 
the  brink  of  rnin,  and  the  day  of  just  retribution. 

Before  this  neglect  and  relaxation,  the  huge  monuments  of  com- 
mercial enterprise  and  art,  the  luxurious  plenty  of  refined  life,  and 
the  substantial  enjoyments  of  all  inferior  ranks,  will  be  swept  away. 
Education  as  such,  if  by  this  is  meant  purchased  tuition,  of  what- 
ever description,  or  improvements  in  education,  could  not  save  such 
•a  people.  The  School  of  Learning  and  the  School  of  Arts  must 
prove  alike  in  vain.  'The  bands  of  human  society,  which  no  human 
legislation  can  supply,  and  for  which  human  sagacity,  at  its  full 
stretch,  can  devise  no  expedient,  are,  in  such  a  case,  loosened. 
What  then,  though  every  thing  which  can  more  speedily  enlighten 
the  infant  mind,  or  regulate  the  more  advanced  periods  of  youth 
and  manhood,  be  proposed  ?  What  though  every  thing  which  can 
profitably  'employ  the  vacant  hour  •of  the  artisan  be  devised  ?  Nay, 
what  though  methods  are  adopted  with  a  view  to  the  advancement 
of  the  kingdom  of  God,  both  abroad  and  at  home  ?  Does  that 
nation  forget,  or  seem  to  forget,  all  the  while,  not  only  that  we  are 
a  governed  race,  but  that  by  certain  fixed  principles  and  general 
laws  we  are  governed  by  the  Almighty  ? 

Let  but  one  only  of  these  be  disdained,  or  even  forgotten — say, 
the  imperious,  and  unchanging,  and  universal  obligations  of  its 
domestic  circle  ;  then  in  vain  shall  that  people  apply  many  medicines 
— in  vain  devise  prompt  and  efficient  restoratives-^in  vain  begin 
with  the  infant  only,  in  order  to  banish  the  long-formed  habits  of 
the  man.  The  cruel,  or  careless,  or  unprincipled  devourers  of  the 
country's  vital  interests,  are  to  be  found  neither  in  prisons  nor  in 
banishment,  but  below  the  domestic  roof;  and  while  they  there 
remain,  and  there  disdain,  or  only  neglect  their  obligations ;  in  spite 
of  improvements  in  prison  discipline,  and  continual  transportation  ; 
in  spite  of  the  tread-wheel  and  the  gibbet ;  nay,  in  spite  of  schemes 
formed  in  aid  of  parental  negligence,  though  all  the  ingenuity 


PREFACE.  x} 

which  belongs  to  human  benevolence  should  never  grow  weary  of 
devising  and  applying  them;  still  juvenile  delinquency  goes  on 
apace;  the  criminal  calendar  doubles;  and  the  charge  of  the  judge 
to  the  grand  jury,  is  found,  at  the  next  assize,  to  have  been  only  as 
water  spilt  upon  the  ground.  His  advice  might  be  extolled,  and 
even  imbibed  by  some,  but  the  particeps  criminis  was  not  present ; 
perhaps  I  should  rather  say,  causa  latet,  vis  est  notissima. 

In  such  a  melancholy  state  of  things,  however,  it  is  very  far  from 
being  only  the  lower,  or  the  lowest  orders,  who  are  chargeable  with 
delinquency  or  neglect.  When  society  has  been  compared  to  a 
pillar,  it  is  true,  they  have  been  considered  as  its  base  or  support. 
But  let  Family  Economy  or  Parental  Obligations  be  neglected, 
what  can  wealth  or  sagacity  avail  ?  Then  will  every  order  of  so- 
ciety prove  alike  infirm :  the  base,  the  shaft,  and  its  capital,  are  seen 
in  equal  progress  to  decay ;  and  if  they  are  not  levelled  by  the 
lightning  of  divine  indignation,  all  alike  must  crumble  into  ruin. 

If,  therefore,  at  any  period,  the  low  and  high,  the  rich  and  poor 
together,  once  ill  of  the  same  disease,  should  descend  to  one  com- 
mon grave,  a  serious  and  important  question  arises  out  of  such  a 
spectacle  :  From  whence  has  the  evil  originated  ?  I  need  not  ask 
whether  the  Children,  or  even  the  youth,  have  ruined  the  nation  ? 
But  has  ignorance  been  more  than  a  match  for  knowledge,  and 
sagacity,  and  frequent  occupation  ?  Or  has  mere  poverty  risen  up, 
and  overwhelmed  wealth  and  habitual  ease  ?  If  not,  then  it  appears 
as  if  only  one  question  remained,  Has  the  evil  descended  ?  So  it 
should  seem. 

With  regard  to  all  ranks,  it  should  never  be  forgotten,  not  only 
that  the  law  of  Heaven  is  one  ;  but  that  the  guilt  of  the  superior 
class,  must  ever  exceed  that  of  the  inferior.  On  this  point,  I  am 
aware  that  one  of  our  best  Poets  has  been  considered,  by  a  few  in- 
dividuals, as  occasionally  too  fastidious  and  severe ;  but  whatever 
severity  there  may  seem,  to  some  ears,  in.  the  following  lines,  it  will 
be  found  on  reflection,  I  am  persuaded^  only  in  the  truth  which  they 
express  :-^- 

"The  course  of  human  things,  from  good  to  ill, 
From  ill  to  worse,  is  fatal,  never  fails. 
Increase  of  power  begets  increase  of  wealth  ; 
Wealth  luxury,  and  luxury  excess  : 
Excess,  the  scrofulous  and  itchy  plague 
That  seizes  first  the  opulent,  descends 
To  the  next  rank  contagious,  and  in  time 
Taints  downward  all  the  graduated  scale 
Of  order,  from  the  chariot  to  the  plough."* 

*  Cowper. 


xji  PREFACE. 

The  reader  may  perhaps  now  imagine,  that,  in  such  a  case,  the 
account  must  come  to  a  close,  and  that  one  is  shut  up  to  the  abso- 
lute necessity  of  merely  saying — "  There  i$  no  hope  ;  no  !  "  But  I 
am  far,  very  far  indeed,  from  either  thinking  or  saying  this.  Look 
over  the  state  of  the  Jewish  nation,  at  the  moment  when  the  Mes- 
siah appeared  among  them.  One  remedy  then,  after  all,  there  is, 
as  far  as  a  remedy  can  prolong  the  existence  of  a  nation,  or  preserve 
it  from  decline.  No  doubt,  to  some,  the  mortifying  thought  will 
immediately  occur,  that  this  remedy  is  not  of  human  invention,  nor 
is  there  in  it  any  thing  to  gratify  the  vanity,  or  secure  the  applause, 
of  a  single  human  being !  For  the  application  of  this  remedy,  too, 
no  substitutes  can  be  found  ;  the  most  opulent  and  the  humblest 
peasant  being  here  invited  to  a  subject  equally  incumbent  upon 
both.  So  far,  however,  as  the  present  writer  is  concerned,  he  must 
now  refer  to  what  follows,  and  leave  the  whole  to  the  impartial  re- 
flections of  his  reader. 

At  the  same  time,  he  owes  it  to  himself  to  state,  that  no  individual 
can  ever  be  more  sensible  than  he  is,  of  the  imperfections  which  may 
perhaps  be  detected  in  every  following  section.  In  sincerity  he 
says  this,  from  a  deep  and  abiding  impression  of  the  vital  impor- 
tance of  the  subject ;  its  importance  to  man  individually ;  to  the 
well-being  or  moral  health  of  families,  in  any  nation,  whatever  be 
its  form  of  political  government ;  and  to  the  best  interests  of  the 
kingdom  of  God,  now  on  its  way  to  that  purity  and  peace  which 
assuredly  await  it,  before  time  shall  end.  But  were  any  man  to 
delay,  under  such  an  impression,  till  he  accomplished  what  might 
please  himself,  this  very  vanity  might  prevent  him  from  being  of 
the  least  service  to  the  community.  So  far,  therefore,  from  depre- 
cating what  has  been  called  the  severity  of  criticism,  should  any 
individual  take  the  trouble  to  point  out  any  mistake  into  which  he 
has  fallen,  the  Author  will  regard  this  as  an  evidence  of  interest  in 
the  subject  itself ;  and  if  ever  a  second  edition  is  called  for,  and  the 
writer  is  alive,  he  will  not  fail  to  avail  himself  of  any  such  remarks. 

There  is  one  passage  of  Sacred  Writ,  the  last  verse  of  the  Old 
Testament,  to  which  frequent  reference  is  made.  Though  fully 
aware  of  different  interpretations  which  have  been  put  upon  it,  and 
the  difficulty  which  some  have  expressed  in  regard  to  the  precise 
import  of  the  terms,  '  Fathers'  and  '  Children,'  after  due  considera- 
tion, the  writer  continued  to  abide  by  the  meaning,  which  the  words 
themselves  express  with  great  beauty  and  simplicity.  This,  it 
should  be  remembered,  was  a  prophecy  ;  and  when  the  reader  comes 
to  peruse  the  proof  of  its  fulfilment,  he  will,  I  presume,  see  no  ob- 
scurity whatever,  in  the  prophecy  itself. 


PREFACE.  xiii 

There  are  a  very  few  quotations,  perhaps  three  or  four,  in  the 
following  pages,  where  the  name  of  the  author  is  not  mentioned, 
merely  because,  in  one  case,  it  seemed  inexpedient  on  several  ac- 
counts, and  in  another,  unnecessary  to  refer  to  the  volumes  from 
whence  they  were  taken.  All  the  others  are  acknowledged  in  their 
respective  places. 

Written,  as  the  volume  has  been,  not  only  amidst  innumerable 
interruptions,  but  in  the  depth  of  long-protracted  domestic  affliction, 
accompanied  by  bereavements  repeated  and  severe,  partly  to  pre- 
serve the  mind  from  undue  excess,  in  pondering  over  scenes  and 
sources  of  enjoyment  never  to  return,  I  am  persuaded,  that  to  all 
1  those  who  have  felt  sorrow,'  and  to  whom  '  sorrow  is  a  sacred 
thing,'  it  will  be  no  matter  of  surprise,  should  they  meet  with  some 
imperfections,  or  the  repetition  of  a  similar  idea.  As  to  the  subject 
itself,  with  the  exception  of  only  one,  which  he  will  not  mention 
here,  a  more  important  one,  and  one  more  necessary  to  the  vital 
interests  of  his  native  country,  at  the  present  moment,  the  writer  is 
not  able  to  conceive ;  and  though  placed  in  circumstances  in  some 
respects  unfriendly  to  composition,  he  felt  it  incumbent  upon  him, 
if  he  could,  to  engage  the  ear,  as  well  as  the  deliberate  attention  of 
Parents  and  the  Heads  of  Families ;  more  especially  those  Families 
where  the  Children  axe  yet  in  infancy.  The  young  and  rising 
generation  have  also  been  kept  in  view  throughout,  so  as,  if  possi- 
ble, to  interest  the  minds  of  those,  who  will  become  the  parents  of  a 
future  age. 

In  the  meanwhile,  could  I  but  hope  to  reach  the  ear  of  Parents, 
whether  in  cities  or  in  the  country,  whether  in  Great  Britain,  or  in 
Ireland  in  whose  welfare  the  writer  has  long  felt  so  deep  an  inter- 
est, perhaps  a  perusal  of  the  following  pages  might  be  of  some 
service  to  them,  and,  as  a  consequence,  to  their  Children;  and 
though,  at  first  sight,  it  may  not  appear,  let  them  observe  whether 
the  subject  here  presented  before  their  view,  besides  more  important 
benefits,  does  not  furnish  one  antidote,  to  the  mistake  or  mere  pro- 
fession of  Christianity,  as  well  as  to  reckless,  not  to  say  unjust, 
commercial  speculation. 

Edinburgh,  28th  June,  1826. 


CONTENTS. 


PART  FIRST. 

THE  CONSTITUTION  OF  THE  HUMAN  FAMILY  OR  DOMESTIC  CIRCLE; 
INCLUDING  ITS  VARIOUS  CONNECTIONS  AND  PECULIAR  SANCTIONS; 
THE  MORAL  POWER  OF  WHICH  IT  IS  SUSCEPTIBLE  J  WITH  THE 
DANGER  AND  VANITY  OF  INTERFERENCE. 

Page. 

SECT.  I. — Preliminary  Observations, 15 

II. — The  Family  Constitution, 22 

III. — Connections  subsisting  between  the  different  Bran- 
ches of  the  Domestic  Constitution,      28 

IV. — The  Penalty  or  Punishment  of  Disobedience  or  Neg- 
lect, descending  to  Posterity, CO 

V. — The  Blessing  connected  with  Obedience,  descending 

to  Posterity, 71 

VI. — The  Moral  Power  which  is  peculiar  to  the  Domestic 

Constitution, 80 

VII. — The  Danger  and  Vanity  of  Interference  with  the 

Domestic  Constitution, 184 

VIII.— Concluding  Reflections, 107 


XVI  CONTENTS, 


PART  SECOND. 

THE    UNTRANSFERABLE    OBLIGATIONS    AiND    PECULIAR  ADVANTAGES 
OF    THE  DOMESTIC  CONSTITUTION. 

Page. 
SECT.  I. — Obedience  and  Success  contrasted  with  Negligence 

and  Ruin, 205 

II. — The  Causes  of  Failure  traced  to  their  Source,  .  .  224 
HI. — The  Means  of  Recovery  and  Establishment,  .  .  .  237 
IV. — The  Manner  of  Procedure  with  regard  to  a  Family,  257 

V. — Domestic  Government, .  291 

VI.— Domestic  Devotion, 314 

VII. — Domestic  Education,  as  distinguished  from  pur- 
chased Tuition  ;  the  Obligations  to  which  are  not 
only  Indispensable,  but  Untransferable,  .  .  .  354 
VIII. — Concluding  Address — To  Christian  Parents,  and  the 
Ministers  of  Christ,  more  especially  as  the  heads 
of  Families, 396 


, 

%FO^ 
PART  FIRST. 


THE  CONSTITUTION  OF  THE  HUMAN  FAMILY,  OR 
DOMESTIC  CIRCLE;  INCLUDING  ITS  VARIOUS 
CONNECTIONS  AND  PECULIAR  SANCTIONS;  THE 
MORAL  POWER  OF  WHICH  IT  IS  SUSCEPTIBLE; 
WITH  THE  DANGER  AND  VANITY  OF  INTERFE- 
RENCE. 


Reduce  things  to  the  first  institution,  and  observe  wherein  and 
how  they  have  degenerated ;  but  yet  ask  counsel  of  both  times :  of 
the  ancient  time  what  is  best,  and  of  the  latter  time  what  is  fittest. 

BACON. 


Persons  are  elements  of  Families ;  Families  are  the  elements  of 
which  both  Churches,  and  Kingdoms,  or  Commonwealths,  are 
composed  and  made  up :  and  as  the  one  sort  of  these  is  purely  civil, 
the  other  purely  sacred,  that  which  is  elementary  unto  both  must 
be  both.  HOWE. 


PART   FIRST. 


SECTION  FIRST. 

PRELIMINARY     OBSERVATIONS. 

The  state  of  Judea  at  the  period  of  the  Messiah's  Advent,  conveyed 
to  us  in  terms  illustrative  of  the  Domestic  Constitution,  and  the 
extreme  degeneracy  of  the  Nation. 

AMONG  the  various  remarkable  eras,  to  which  the  atten- 
tion of  man  can  be  directed,  there  is  not  one  to  be  com- 
pared, in  point  of  interest  or  importance,  with  that  in 
which  the  Saviour  entered  our  world.  The  state  of  all 
nations,  in  remote  or  immediate  connection  with  this 
mysterious  event,  may  be  and  should  be  investigated  ;  but 
the  sources  from  whence  information  can  be  drawn, 
though  not  vague  or  uncertain,  are  opened  chiefly  to  the 
learned  and  the  studious.  The  moral  and  religious  con- 
dition of  that  peculiar  people,  among  whom  He  conde- 
scended to  appear,  is  however  not  so  veiled  in  obscurity  ; 
nay,  it  is  remarkable  that,  to  infinite  wisdom,  it  seemed 
meet  to  foretell  minutely,  not  only  the  time  and  circum- 
stances of  the  Saviour's  appearance,  but  the  precise  state 
of  the  Jewish  nation  at  the  moment  of  his  advent.  The 
volume  of  prophecy  teems  with  references  to  this  period : 


16  PRELIMINARY  OBSERVATIONS. 

even  the  close  of  the  Old  Testament  is  intended  to  de- 
scribe the  opening  of  the  New ;  and  the  very  last  words 
of  the  last  of  the  prophets,  direct  the  eye  to  the  harbinger 
of  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  : — He  shall  turn  the  heart  of 
the  fathers  to  the  children,  and  the  heart  of  the  children  to 
their  fathers,  lest  I  come  and  smite  the  land  with  a  curse. 

The  phraseology  adopted  by  Malachi,  on  this  occasion, 
is  certainly  of  a  peculiar  character  ;  and  it  deserves  more 
attention,  from  its  being  intended  to  describe  the  melan- 
choly state  of  the  Jewish  nation,  immediately  preceding 
our  Saviour's  actual  appearance  in  it.  On  the  general 
complexion  of  society,  it  looks  very  hard ;  and  even  as 
though  it  were  intended,  by  a  master-stroke  of  the  pro- 
phetic pencil,  to  depict  wherein  the  greatest  demoraliza- 
tion of  a  nation  consists, — the  dissolution  of  the  Family 
compact.  At  the  same  moment,  however,  it  points  out 
the  only  way  in  which  the  tone  of  society  may  be  restored  ; 
the  only  way  in  which,  under  such  sad  and  degenerate 
circumstances,  a  general  improvement  may  be  attained, 
or  at  least  an  effectual  one,  so  far  as  it  goes. 

But  why,  it  may  be  inquired,  adopt  such  a  phraseology  ? 
Why  not  fix  upon  some  of  the  other  links  in  the  chain  of 
being;  some  of  the  other  relative  connections'?  Why 
not  have  said,  He  shall  turn  the  heart  of  the  masters  to 
the  servants,  and  the  heart  of  servants  to  their  masters, — 
the  heart  of  kings,  or  of  governors,  to  their  subjects,  and 
the  heart  of  subjects  to  their  rulers  ?  If  the  general  prev- 
alence of  religion  throughout  a  nation  be  the  object,  would 
not  this  be  a  much  more  effectual  method,  and  more 
likely  to  produce  a  permanent  and  public  change  1  To 
all  this  I  reply,  without  hesitation,  in  the  negative.  The 
precise  terms  of  divine  revelation  are  of  great  moment, 
and  for  them,  as  well  as  for  the  order  in  which  these 
terms  are  introduced  to  our  notice,  the  strongest  argu- 
ments may,  in  numberless  cases,  be  adduced,  and  so  it 
seems  here. 


PRELIMINARY  OBSERVATIONS.  17 

1.  Such  a  phraseology  most  effectually  embraces  the 
body  of  a  nation.     Indeed,  whatever  may  be  the  civil,  the 
moral,  or  the  religious  condition,  it  at  once  fixes  the  mind 
on  the  broad  surface  of  human  society  all  over  the  world. 
The  proportion  of  individuals  who  sustain  neither  of  these 
relations  is  comparatively  insignificant,  while  nearly  the 
whole  of  human  existence  in  this  world  is  also  embraced 
by  the  terms  employed.      How  short,  in  almost  all  in- 
stances, is  the  period  in  which  man  sustains  neither  of 
these  endearing  relations !     Suppose  a  man  to  be  misera- 
ble first  as  a  child,  in  consequence  of  the  misconduct  of 
his  parents,   and  then  miserable  as  a  parent,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  misconduct  of  his  children,  and  with  him 
what  a  small  proportion  of  the  wick  of '  life's  poor  shallow 
lamp'   has  burned  brightly!     Such  a  man  may  be  said, 
'  never  to  have  eaten  with  pleasure ; '  for  so  small  is  the 
space  which  you  have  left  him  to  enjoy,  that  you  may 
almost  close  the  account  by  adding, — "  all  his  days  are 
sorrow,  and  his  travail  grief." 

2.  The  terms  employed  by  Malachi  have  the  advantage 
of  presenting  the  individuals  of  any,  or  of  every  nation, 
and  especially  the  Jewish  people  at  that  period,  in  one  of 
the  most  affecting  and  solemn  points  of  view. 

'  Fathers '  and  '  children,'  are  terms  which  remind  us, 
not  of  consanguinity  only,  but  of  different  periods  in 
human  existence  :  the  former,  now  descending  into  the 
vale  of  years,  are  followed  by  the  latter,  all  joyous  and 
sportive,  in  the  morning  of  their  days ;  the  sun  which  is 
rising  on  the  one  party,  is  now  declining  or  setting  on  the 
other.  This,  too,  is  the  generation  going  away,  and  the 
generation  coming,  between  whom  there  exist  connections 
of  the  most  serious  and  important  nature.  It  is  the  gen- 
eration who  ought  to  be  distinguished  for  hearts  of  ten- 
derness and  for  grey  experience ;  who,  after  having  trod- 
2* 


l&  PRELIMINARY  OBSERVATIONS. 

den  the  greater  part  of  this  weary  pilgrimage,  are  '  going 
away  ' — away  to  meet  their  Judge  :  and  it  is  the  genera- 
tion following  after  them,  in  the  same  solemn  path. 

3.  This  division  of  a  whole  population  may  be  said  to 
enter  most  effectually  into  the  heart  of  human  society. 

Not  that  society  is  uninterested  in  the  other  ties  by 
which  it  is  held  together,  and  by  which  it  may  be  de- 
scribed. Any  measure  which  would  generally  or  univer- 
sally affect  masters  and  servants  not  living  under  the  same 
roof,  or  the  governor  and  the  governed  in  the  same  king- 
dom, must  both  engage  and  engross  the  public  mind ;  but 
never  can  you  so  effectually  penetrate  into  the  whole 
economy  of  man,  as  by  touching  the  hearts  of  both  pa- 
rents and  children  in  a  land.  There  is  something  at  once 
so  tender  and  so  powerful  in  this  relation,  that,  with  only 
one  exception,  all  others  are  weak  in  comparison.  An 
appeal  to  this  is  irresistible.  "  Like  as  a  father  pitieth 
his  children,  so  the  Lord  pitieth  them  that  fear  him." 
"  As  one  whom  his  mother  comforteth,  so  will  I  comfort 
you,  saith  Jehovah,  and  ye  shall  be  comforted  in  Jerusa- 
lem." "  He  only  is  left  of  his  mother,"  said  Judah, 
"  and  his  father  loveth  him."  Joseph  might  make  him- 
self strange  to  his  brethren,  and  answer  roughly  too ;  but 
what  could  he  say  to  this  ? 

That  the  terms  employed  by  the  prophet  are  intended 
to  reach  the  core  of  moral  disease,  may  be  seen  in  a  very 
striking  and  melancholy  point  of  view,  if  a  nation  is 
supposed  to  be  in  a  state  of  degeneracy ;  for  Malachi 
intends  to  mark  a  period  of  great  and  general  degeneracy, 
and  stronger  terms  he  could  not  employ.  It  has  been  said, 

When  nations  are  to  perish  in  their  sins, 
Tis  in  the  church  the  leprosy  begins. 

Let  this  be  granted ;  still  there  is  a  previous  question. 
How  did  this  leprosy  commence  in  the  church  ?  The 


PRELIMINARY  OBSERVATIONS.  19 

church  comes  in  contact  with  families;  and  from  the 
bosom  of  those  families  has  come  the  leprosy  which 
primarily  infects  the  church,  and  thus  ultimately  destroys 
the  nation.  As  repentance  and  reformation  in  a  commu- 
nity is  found  to  originate  with  some  one  individual ;  so, 
did  we  know  all,  degeneracy  in  the  church,  and  the 
torrent  of  immorality  in  a  nation,  might  be  traced  to  the 
bosom  of  a  single  family.  Nor  is  this  necessary :  let 
only  one  parent  relax  and  neglect  his  duty,  and  his 
example  be  followed,  then  all  the  powers  of  legislation, 
and  all  the  precepts  of  Christianity,  are  in  vain.  The 
alienation,  or  even  carelessness  of  the  parental  heart, 
much  more  the  dissolution  of  the  domestic  tie,  constitutes 
the  most  hopeless  of  all  conditions :  a  nation  cannot  sink 
lower ;  for  it  marks  the  lowest  step  of  human  depravity, 
and  just  precedes  the  eventful  moment,  when  God  himself 
"smites  the  land  with  a  curse."  Modern  times  have 
furnished  us  with  some  dreadful  illustrations.  France 
was  precisely  in  this  state  before  the  Revolution  ;  and  as 
this  fretting  leprosy  still  infests  that  fine  country,  one 
cannot  help  anticipating  an  evil  day,  which  if  the  "  hearts 
of  the  fathers  are  not  turned  to  the  children,  and  the 
hearts  of  the  children  to  their  fathers,"  must  and  will 
arrive.  In  ancient  times  also  the  fate  of  Sodom  and  the 
cities  of  the  plain  is  awfully  illustrative.  Their  signal 
overthrow  may  be  distinctly  traced  to  the  want  of  family 
government :  so,  before  that  awful  catastrophe,  we  find 
the  Almighty  on  his  way  to  the  sad  scene,  calls  for 
Abraham,  saying,  "  Shall  I  hide  from  Abraham  that  thing 
which  I  do ;  seeing  that  Abraham  shall  surely  become  a 
great  and  mighty  nation,  and  all  the  nations  of  the  earth 
shall  be  blessed  in  him?  For  I  know  him,  that  he  will 
command  his  children  and  his  household  after  him,  and 
they  shall  keep  the  way  of  the  Lord,  to  do  justice  and 
judgment,  that  the  Lord  may  bring  upon  Abraham  that 


20  PRELIMINARY  OBSERVATIONS. 

which  he  hath  spoken  of  him."  What  was  this,  if  it  was 
not  saying  in  effect,  "For  I  know  Abraham,  that  he  will 
act  very  differently  from  the  men  of  Sodom,  or  even  Lot 
himself,  though  he  is  not  above  the  necessity  of  being 
confirmed  in  his  principles?" 

In  the  days  of  the  Messiah,  however,  the  state  of  Judea 
was  much  more  melancholy  than  that  of  even  these 
wicked  cities.  Under  the  energy  of  the  means  he  em- 
ployed, Tyre  and  Sidon  would  have  repented,  and  Sodom 
itself  remained.  It  was  not  merely  that  the  tabernacle 
of  David  was  fallen  down,  and  in  ruins  ;  not  merely  that 
the  sceptre  was  departed  from  Judah,  and  a  Lawgiver 
from  between  his  feet :  it  was  not  that  Augustus  had 
gained  the  sovereignty  of  the  world,  or  that  Herod  under 
him,  a  mere  tributary  king,  and  he  not  a  Jew,  should 
reign  in  Jerusalem  ;  nor  that  this  ancient  people  should 
have  even  to  pay  for  the  privilege  of  such  a  servitude. 
Time  there  was,  indeed,  when  the  only  capitation  they 
knew,  was  the  atonement-money  of  half  a  shekel,  a 
ransom  for  their  souls  unto  Jehovah  their  King;  but  now 
their  very  heads  are  not  their  own,  and  the  tribute  must 
be  paid  to  a  foreign  human  power  :  yet  none  of  these 
things  sufficiently  depict  the  sunk  and  degraded  condition 
of  Judea ;  no,  it  was  their  procuring  cause  which  consti- 
tuted the  most  melancholy  feature  of  the  nation's  char- 
acter. 

Had  they  maintained  allegiance  firm  and  sure, 
And  kept  the  faith  immaculate  and  pure, 
Then  the  proud  eagles  of  all-conquering  Rome 
Had  found  one  city  not  to  be  o'ercome; 
And  the  twelve  standards  of  the  tribes  unfurl'd 
Had  bid  defiance  to  the  warring  world. 

Against  the  corruption  of  divine  truth,  therefore,  we 
see  the  energies  of  John  and  the  ministry  of  Jesus  first 
directed.  A  direct  repeal  of  the  law  of  God,  by  the 


PRELIMINARY  OBSERVATIONS.  21 

authority  of  the  professed  teachers  of  religion,  was  suf- 
ficient to  account  for  all  the  misery  which  they  then 
endured;  and  it  is  worthy  of  notice,  that  when  the 
Saviour  meant  to  substantiate  this  charge,  he  did  so  by  a 
reference  nearly  akin  to  the  subject  before  us  :  "  Why 
do  ye  also  transgress  the  commandment  of  God  by  your 
tradition  ?  For  God  commanded,  saying,  Honor  thy 
father  and  mother  :  and  He  that  curseth  father  or  mother, 
let  him  die  the  death.  But  ye  say,  Whosoever  shall  say 
to  his  father  or  his  mother,  it  is  a  gift,  by  whatsoever 
thou  mightest  be  profited  by  me;  and  honor  not  his 
father  and  his  mother,  he  shall  be  free ; "  or,  as  Tyndal 
translates,  "  But  ye  say  every  man  shall  say  to  his  father 
or  mother,  that  which  thou  desirest  of  me  to  help  thee 
with  is  given  to  God ;  and  so  shall  he  not  honor  his 
father  or  mother."  Such  traditions  may  seem  to  us 
scarcely  credible,  but  by  this  period,  among  the  Jews, 
they  had  become  numerous.  As  a  specimen,  take  the 
following  :  "A  man  may  be  so  bound  by  vows,  that  he 
cannot,  without  great  sin,  do  what  God  had  by  his  law 
required  to  be  done ;  so  that,  if  he  made  a  vow,  which 
laid  him  under  a  necessity  to  violate  God's  law  that  he 
might  observe  it,  his  vow  must  stand,  and  the  law  be 
abrogated."* 

Before,  however,  visiting  this  nation,  at  any  period, 
and  when  judgment  began  to  mend  her  pace,  it  had  been 
the  custom  of  the  Lord  to  raise  up  a  monitor ;  and  so  he 
did  now.  Elias  must  first  come,  and  restore  all  things,  as 
far  as  faithful  teaching  and  solemn  warning  could  do  so. 
"  Behold,  I  will  send  you  Elijah  the  prophet,  before  the 
coming  of  the  great  and  dreadful  day  of  the  Lord  :  and 
he  shall  turn  the  heart  of  the  fathers  unto  the  children, 
and  the  heart  of  children  to  their  fathers,  lest  I  come  and 
smite  the  land  with  a  curse." 

*  Jewish  canon,  from  Pocock. 


SECTION  SECOND. 

THE     FAMILY     CONSTITUTION. 

Its  Singular  Character — its  Civil  Character — its  Sacred  Character  j 
— the  Head  of  this  domestic  economy. 

WHATEVER  opinion  may  be  formed  of  the  preceding 
observations,  the  singular  and  invaluable  constitution  of 
a  family  gives  peculiar  force  and  propriety  to  the  pro- 
phetic terms  already  noticed,  as  well  as  to  many  other 
passages  of  Sacred  Writ.  By  constitution,  I  intend  the 
connection  of  its  several  parts,  and  the  principles  by 
which  each  of  these  is  to  be  governed.  There  is  one 
society  or  constitution  of  things  in  this  world,  and  only 
one,  which  is  purely  sacred ;  there  are  others  which  are 
purely  civil.  Among  the  latter  there  is  considerable 
variety;  but  amidst  the  various  modifications  which 
earthly  governments  have  assumed,  from  the  purest  de- 
mocracy up  to  monarchy  the  most  despotic,  there  is  not 
one  form  which  resembles,  or  which  can  resemble  the 
constitution  of  a  family.  We  read,  it  is  granted,  of 
times  called  patriarchal ;  but  no  body  of  men  can  ever 
follow  out  the  principles  which  rise  out  of  the  singular 
constitution  of  a  family.  Below  the  heavens,  on  this 
side  of  the  grave,  there  is  nothing  precisely  like  it.  This 
is  more  deserving  of  notice,  since  it  is  a  remark  which 


THE  FAMILY  CONSTITUTION.  33 

will  hold  true  in  every  age  and  in  every  country.  The 
economy  of  nations,  whether  civilized  or  savage,  and  the 
foolish  interferences  of  an  injudicious  political  economy, 
may  derange  that  of  the  family,  or  disregard  it,  when 
struggling  after  a  better  state  of  things  ;  but  the  constitu- 
tion of  a  family  is  in  fact  the  same  from  the  first  Adam  ; 
the  same  in  any  state  of  society,  and  in  every  quarter  of 
the  globe. 

I  have  said,  therefore,  the  singular  constitution  of  a 
family  gives  peculiar  force  to  these  words  of  Malachi. 
That  constitution  resembles  entirely  neither  the  world 
nor  the  church  ;  neither  the  civil  nor  the  sacred  character  ; 
since,  in  fact,  it  partakes  of  both  :  yes,  of  both  ;  and  it  is 
actually  the  only  constitution  upon  earth,  now  in  existence, 
of  divine  establishment,  of  which  this  can  be  affirmed. 

The  civil  character  will  not  be  disputed,  since  it  is 
generally  admitted,  that  families  were  evidently  formed 
for  this  world,  and  its  best  interests.  Reference  to  either 
ancient  or  modern  times  will  prove,  that  the  state  has 
ever  stamped  a  high  value  on  the  rights  and  duties  of 
parents  and  children  :  "  The  common  law  itself,  which 
is  the  best  bound  of  our  wisdom,  doth  even,  in  hoc  indi- 
viduo,  prefer  the  prerogative  of  the  father  before  the 
prerogative  of  the  king  ;  for,  if  lands  descend,  held  in 
chief  from  an  ancestor,  on  the  part  of  a  mother,  to  a 
man's  eldest  son,  the  father  being  alive,  the  father  shall 
have  custody  of  the  body,  and  not  the  king.  It  is  true 
that  this  is  only  for  the  father,  and  not  any  other  parent 
or  ancestor  ;  but  then  if  you  look  to  the  high  law  of 
tutelage  and  protection,  and  of  obedience  and  duty, 
which  is  the  relative  thereto,  it  is  not  said,  '  Honor  thy 
father  alone,5  but  (  Honor  thy  father  and  thy  mother,' 


Bacon. 


24  THE  FAMILY  CONSTITUTION. 

Now,  in  addition  to  the  civil  or  natural,  with  regard  to 
the  sacred  character  of  the  domestic  constitution,  I  may 
inquire,  Is  a  family  formed  with  a  view  to  the  present 
world  only  ?  or,  Is  it  even  formed  for  this  world  chiefly  ? 
Certainly  not.  In  its  very  frame  may  be  seen  evidence  of 
the  contrary.  By  God  himself  it  has  been  framed  for  a 
particular  end ;  and  what  is  that  end,  if  it  is  not  a  re- 
ligious one  ?  "  If  the  most  fundamental  relation  in  a 
family,  the  conjugal  relation,  was  appointed  by  God  for 
such  an  end,  then  certainly  the  family  must  be,  in  the 
design  of  its  constitution,  set  up  for  that  end.  '  Did  not 
He  make  one?'  says  this  same  prophet,  'Did  not  He 
make  one  ?  yet  had  he  the  residue  of  the  spirit ;  and 
wherefore  one  ?  that  he  might  seek  a  godly  seed.'  He 
did  not  design  the  original  constitution  of  that  fundamen- 
tal relation,  only  that  there  might  be  a  continual  descent 
of  human  nature,  but  that  religion  might  still  be  trans- 
mitted from  age  to  age  ;  and  this  design  he  never  quits."* 
So,  in  perfect  conformity  with  this  design,  long  before 
the  time  of  Moses,  we  read  of  family  sacrifices.  Jacob, 
in  the  line  of  the  promise  made  to  Abraham,  and  Job, 
who  was  not,  equally  offered  burnt-offerings  for  themselves 
and  their  families.  Job  offered  according  to  the  number 
of  his  children,  and  thus  he  did  continually.  Now,  the 
office  of  priest,  in  such  a  case,  must  have  depended  on 
institution  ;  and  these  individuals  had  their  warrant  in  the 
nature  of  the  constitution  of  which  they  were  the  heads. 
If  every  society,  in  which  men  coalesce  according  to  the 
mind  of  God,  is  bound  to  own  its  dependence  on  him  by 
worship,  or  service  common  to  all,  assuredly  this  is  thev 
case  with  regard  to  a  family  or  household,  since  it  is  not 
only  the  well-spring  of  every  other,  or  of  all  society,  but 
a  well-spring  of  God's  own  institution. 

*  Howe. 


THE  FAMILY  CONSTITUTION.  25 

For  another  world,  therefore,  yes,  for  the  eternal  world, 
and  with  a  view  to  it  principally,  does  the  Almighty  set 
the  solitary  in  families.  Every  family  has  in  fact  a  sacred 
character  belonging  to  it,  which  may  indeed  be  forgotten 
or  disdained;  but  the  family  is  constituted,  and  ought 
therefore  to  be  conducted,  with  the  prospect  of  the  rising 
generation  following  that  which  precedes  it,  not  only  to 
the  grave,  but  into  eternity. 

This  fine  constitution  of  things,  which  is  founded  in 
nature,  and  exists,  therefore,  in  every  family,  is  only 
visible,  it  is  true,  in  all  its  beauty,  when  both  parents  are 
Christians ;  because  the  mixed  character  of  the  family 
constitution  attaches  itself  peculiarly  to  the  person  of  its 
head.  There  are  two  terms  employed  in  Scripture  to 
describe  the  present  character  and  daily  obligations  of  the 
Christian,  which  apply  with  peculiar  force  to  the  Christian 
parent  or  head  of  a  family;  one  borrowed  from  what  is 
civil,  and  the  other  from  what  is  sacred.  These  are  king 
and  priest,  and  to  these  that  of  a  prophet  might  be  added ; 
but  I  notice  at  present  only  the  two  former.  By  his 
Saviour,  even  in  this  life,  the  Christian  is  made  a  king 
and  a  priest  unto  God.  These  high  favors,  once  bestowed, 
are  to  be  carried  about  with  him  as  robes  of  office  and 
obligation  which  he  cannot  lay  aside.  Now,  in  the 
family-circle,  there  is  provided,  by  God,  one  of  the  most 
interesting  and  important  fields  for  the  exercise  and  dis- 
play of  both  characters.  There  he  may,  and  there  he 
does  reign  as  a  king,  in  sovereign  and  undisputed  au- 
thority ;  and  there,  too,  as  a  priest,  is  he  to  officiate  on 
behalf  of  others  as  well  as  himself.  By  the  exercise  of 
the  former  character,  his  veneration  for  God  is  advanced, 
while  he  remembers,  that,  as  a  '  king  unto  God,'  an  account 
must  be  rendered  of  the  daily  exercise  of  his  authority  : 
by  his  priestly  character,  compassion  and  sympathy  are 
greatly  promoted ;  since  it  is  impossible  for  a  man  to  pray 
3 


26  THE  FAMILY  CONSTITUTION. 

often  for  his  family,  without  feeling  increasing  tenderness 
for  it. 

This  beautiful  and  affecting  arrangement  of  our  Creator) 
— the  civil  and  sacred  character,  united  at  once  in  the 
very  constitution  of  a  family,  and  in  the  person  of  its 
head,  gives  rise  to  some  of  the  most  important  coinci- 
dences with  which  we  are  acquainted.  Here  is  a  con- 
stitution favorable  to  the  state,  in  the  very  highest  degree, 
and  whatever  may  be  its  form  of  government.  In  such  a 
family  it  is  that  the  child,  as  a  child,  learns  to  be  a  good 
subject,  and  that  the  brother  or  sister,  as  such,  learns  to 
be  a  good  citizen ;  and  here  is  a  state  of  things  equally 
favorable  to  the  increase  of  the  church,  as  it  is  to  that  of 
the  state  :  for  if  this  is  not  understood,  the  highest  end  of 
its  existence  is  not  understood.  Here,  in  short,  both  the 
church  and  the  world  meet,  and  it  is  the  only  spot  on  earth 
where  it  is  at  once  lawful  and  incumbent  on  them  so  to 
do.  You  will  not  fail,  however,  to  observe,  that  this 
meeting  is  upon  a  very  small  scale,  and  under  very  pe- 
culiar circumstances.  It  is  not  that  the  constitution  of 
the  church  is  to  be  confounded  with  that  of  the  family. 
Since  God  himself  does  not  govern  the  church  as  he  does 
the  family,  so  neither  must  we  confound  them.  Not  that 
these  two  constitutions,  in  themselves  considered,  are  in 
any  one  point  at  variance  with  each  other :  so  far  from 
this,  for  particular  ends,  they  are  in  perfect  harmony ;  but 
still  they  are  so  distinct,  that  neither  can  be  fully  under- 
stood, much  less  seen  in  all  its  beauty,  if  confounded 
with  the  other.  The  peculiar  genius  of  their  several 
constitutions  can  never  be  violated  with  impunity.  Here, 
however,  in  the  family,  members  of  the  church  and  of 
the  world  must  actually  meet ;  and  doing  so  by  divine 
appointment,  how  peculiar  and  important  is  the  situation 
of  a  parent?  Both  worlds  meeting,  both  must  be  kept  in 
view ;  but  no  Christian  will  for  a  moment  hesitate  as  to 
which  world  should  have  the  pre-eminence. 


THE  FAMILY  CONSTITUTION.  27 

Such,  at  least  in  part,  seems  to  be  the  peculiar  charac- 
ter of  the  little  group  assembled  round  the  household  fire. 
The  family  may  increase  ;  the  establishment  extend  j  but 
beyond  the  limits  of  a  household  properly  so  called,  the 
constitution,  as  to  its  main  design,  cannot  extend.  Yet, 
however  small  in  point  of  number,  or  unpretending  in 
point  of  aspect,  its  connections  and  laws,  its  spirit  and 
principles,  being  altogether  sui  generis,  well  deserve,  and 
will  richly  reward  the  most  careful  examination. 


SECTION   THIRD. 

CONNECTIONS  SUBSISTING  BETWEEN  THE  DIF- 
FERENT BRANCHES  OF  THE  DOMESTIC  CON- 
STITUTION. 

Connections  peculiar  to  this  constitution — Husband  and  Wife — 
Parent  and  Child — Brothers  and  Sisters — Master  and  Servant — 
Superior  and  inferior  Servant — Servant  and  Child. 

IN  many  passages  of  Sacred  Writ,  there  will  be  seen 
much  of  force  and  beauty,  when  the  connections  subsisting 
between  the  several  parts  of  this  constitution  are  fully 
considered. 

HUSBAND  AND  WIFE. — The  connection  between  hus- 
band and  wife,  being  at  once  the  ground  of  all  other 
domestic  ties,  and  in  many  respects  their  pattern,  naturally 
claims  the  first  attention.  Indeed,  not  only  the  connec- 
tion itself,  but  the  rule  laid  down  in  Scripture,  to  the 
Christian,  for  its  formation,  equally  demand  notice. 

A  constitution  so  singular  as  that  of  a  Family,  is  thus 
found  to  rise  out  of  a  connection  quite  in  character  in 
point  of  singularity,  while  the  harmony  of  the  whole 
superstructure  rests,  of  necessity,  upon  it.  To  refer, 
therefore,  again  to  a  passage  of  Scripture,  already  noticed 
in  a  former  section,  "  Have  ye  not  read,"  said  Jesus, 
"  that  he  which  made  them  (*.  e.  man  and  wife)  at  the 


DOMESTIC  CONNECTIONS.  29 

beginning,  made  them  (a)  male  and  (a)  female?"  as  in- 
tending to  prevent  both  polygamy  and  divorce ;  "  and 
said,"  at  least  by  Moses,  if  not  by  Adam  himself,  divinely 
instructed  into  the  ends  and  obligation  of  marriage  in  all 
ages ;  "  for  this  cause,"  or  on  account  of  engaging  in  the 
married  state,  "  shall  a  man  leave  his  father  and  mother,5* 
the  nearest  relation  he  has  hitherto  sustained,  "  and  cleave 
to  his  wife,"  a  more  intimate  relation  still,  "  and  they 
twain  shall  be  one  flesh."  "  Wherefore  they  are  no  more 
twain,  but  one  flesh."  A  stronger  expression  it  was  not 
possible  to  employ.  As  though  it  had  been  said,  nothing 
should  separate,  but  that  which  separates  the  soul  from 
the  body,  and  even  the  component  parts  of  the  body  from 
each  other.  "  What,  therefore,  God  hath  joined  together, 
let  not  man  put  asunder." 

For  the  nature  and  intimacy  of  this  connection,  there^ 
fore,  our  Lord  refers  to  the  original  design  of  the  Creator 
himself,  just  as  Malachi  had  done  before  him.  Indeed  it 
is  not  unworthy  of  remark,  that,  as  introductory  to  that 
glorious  dispensation,  when  Elias  was  to  come  and  restore 
all  things,  in  preparation  for  his  Lord,  who  was  to  con- 
firm and  establish  them,  the  last  of  the  prophets  abounds 
with  reference  to  first  principles.  To  the  honor  due  to 
a  father — the  honor  due  to  a  master — respect  to  a  civil 
governor — to  man's  common  descent  from  Adam  ;  nay  to 
his  original  creation  by  God,  he  appeals.  So  in  the 
passage  referred  to,  as  quoted  both  by  the  Saviour,  and 
the  prophet  whose  authority  he  thus  sanctioned,  the 
reasoning  goes  back,  not  to  Moses  merely,  or  to  any  pe- 
culiarity in  the  Mosaic  economy  ;  not  to  Abraham  or  the 
covenant  made  with  him,  but  to  the  creation  of  man  at 
the  beginning.  It  points  directly  at  the  special  design 
of  the  Creator  himself,  in  the  formation  of  the  first  pair, 
and  explains  the  intimacy  of  the  connection  which  God 
had  formed,  with  a  view  to  the  best  interests  of  the 
3* 


30  DOMESTIC  CONNECTIONS. 

human  family.     Yes,  the  formation  of  the  first  woman, 
not  out  of  the  dust  of  the  ground,  but  out  of  the  first  man, 
was   evidently  intended  to   impress   on   our    minds  the 
necessity  for  this  union  being  entire,  and  that  in  order  to 
the  end  he  had  in  view.     "  Did  not  he  make  one?"  says 
Malachi,  "yet  had  he  the  residue"  or  abundance  "of  the 
Spirit.     And  wherefore  one  ?  that  he  might  seek  "  and  so 
secure  "  a  godly  seed."     Does  not  the  prophet  here  re- 
mind the  Jew  of  the  first  institution  of  marriage,  precisely 
as  the  Messiah  himself  did  afterwards  1     "  He  tells  them 
that  God  made  but  one  man  at  first,  the  word  rendered 
one  being  masculine ;  and  made  the  woman  out  of  him, 
when  he  could  have  created   another  out  of  the  ground, 
or  more  if  he  had  pleased — thus  instructing  them   that 
this  was  the  true  pattern  of  marriage,  ordained  for  true 
and  undivided  affections,  as  best  serving  the  end  he  had 
in  view,  namely,  the  religious  education  of  children."* 
And  why  was  this?     Was  it  that  his  life-giving  power 
was  exhausted  in  Adam  ?  certainly  not.     With  him  was 
there  abundance  of  power,  and  the  residue  of  the  Spirit ; 
"  but  as  he  meant  that  a  godly  posterity  should  be  trained 
up,  this  would  best  be  done,"  and  could  only  in  general 
be  done,  "  by  the  joint  care  of  both  parents  living  together 
in  love,  and  uniting  their  instructions,  and  example,  and 
prayers,  for  that  end."t 

A  connection,  however,  so  intimate  and  endearing, 
must  have  been  intended,  in  the  first  instance  also,  to 
produce  corresponding  good  to  the  parties  themselves. 
So  it  has  been  said,  that  "  though  single  life  may  make  a 
man  like  an  angel,  marriage,  in  very  many  things,  makes 
the  Christian  pair  like  Christ."  The  latter,  indeed, 
seems  to  be  one  intention  of  the  Almighty,  according  to 
an  interesting  passage  in  the  New  Testament  Scriptures. 

*  Lowth.  t  Scott. 


DOMESTIC  CONNECTIONS.  31 

It  is  manifest  from  it,  that  marriage  is  symbolical  of  one 
of  the  greatest  mysteries  in  our  religion ;  and,  therefore, 
that  of  which  it  is  symbolical,  is  employed  by  the  inspired 
writer  at  once  to  illustrate  and  enforce  the  relative  obliga- 
tions of  both  wife  and  husband.  Read  over  the  entire 
passage  in  Ephesians  v.  2*2 — 33.  Thus  we  know  that 
the  Saviour  descended  from  the  bosom  of  his  Father, 
and,  contracting  with  our  nature,  we  became  a  church  ; 
not 'only  the  bride,  but  the  spouse,  as  indissolubly  united 
to  him.  This  church  he  purifies  by  his  blood,  giving  the 
Spirit  as  an  earnest  of  perfect  conformity  to  his  image, 
and  heaven  at  last,  as  an  inheritance  in  which  to  enjoy 
and  display  this  conformity  to  himself.  Meanwhile  this 
spouse  he  fosters  and  cherishes  ;  lodges  near  to  himself — 
providing  for  all  necessities — relieving  all  sorrows — re- 
solving all  difficulties,  and  guiding  her  through  life ;  or, 
in  one  word,  he  has  condescended  to  become  at  once  the 
husband  and  the  head  of  his  church.  In  this  profoundly 
mysterious  case,  the  indissoluble  union  consists  in  his 
boundless  love  and  her  entire  obedience,  as  well  as  the  in- 
terchange and  interweaving  of  interests,  common  to  both: 
He  taking  upon  him  our  nature,  our  condition,  our  inter- 
est, and  we  in  return  participating  in  his.  Great  then  as 
this  mystery  is  affirmed  to  be,  marriage  is  employed  by 
Paul  to  symbolize  it :  so  that  it  is  not  only  divine  in  its 
institution ;  not  only  sacred  in  its  union,  and  honorable  in 
its  appellation,  but  symbolical  in  its  signification,  and 
religious  in  its  end.  You  observe,  however,  that  the 
inspired  writer  having  closed  his  allusion,  immediately 
adds,  "  Nevertheless,"  f.  e.  though  the  former  discourse 
was  intended  casually  to  explicate  the  conjunction  of 
Christ  and  his  church,  yet  it  hath  in  it  this  distinct  and 
substantial  duty,  "let  every  one  of  you  in  particular  so 
love  his  wife  even  as  himself,  and  the  wife  see  that  she 
reverence  her  husband." 


32  DOMESTIC  CONNECTIONS. 

In  perfect  conformity  with  these  sentiments,  is  the  rul'e 
laid  down  in  Scripture  to  the  Christian  for  the  formation 
of  this  union.  Although  the  fear  of  God  in  every  age 
must  have  been  a  sufficient  guide,  it  was  far  too  important 
a  subject  to  be  overlooked  by  the  Saviour  of  our  race, 
in  his  design  to  establish  a  kingdom  of  righteousness 
and  peace  in  this  unprincipled  and  rebellious  world.  In 
the  earliest  ages,  he  well  knew,  that  consequences  the 
most  dreadful  had  ensued  from  indifference  to  this  sub- 
ject. Accordingly  no  sooner  do  we  read  of  the  sons  of 
God  taking  to  themselves  partners  in  life,  "of  all  which 
they  chose,"  that  is,  without  any  regard  to  their  principles 
in  so  doing,  than  it  is  immediately  added,  "Jehovah  said, 
My  Spirit  shall  not  always  strive  with  man."  Yes,  their 
disregard  to  principle  in  this  important  step,  hurried  on 
the  wickedness  of  the  antediluvian  world,  till  the  earth 
became  so  corrupt  before  God,  that  the  end  of  all  flesh 
came  before  him.  The  same  disregard  to  principle  in 
this  matter,  the  Saviour  also  knew,  had  well  nigh  pre- 
vented the  restoration  of  the  Jewish  economy  after  the 
captivity,  and  rendered  it,  even  at  last,  a  task  of  the  most 
formidable  and  appalling  description  to  Ezra  and  his 
friends.  Almost  despairing  of  success,  even  after  all  his 
unwearied  labors,  when  he  heard  of  this  dereliction  of 
principle,  he  rent  his  garment  and  his  mantle,  nay,  even 
plucked  off  the  very  hair  of  his  head  and  of  his  beard,  and 
sat  down  in  an  astonishment  of  grief. 

Our  blessed  Lord,  therefore,  at  once,  by  the  character 
of  his  subjects,  and  the  nature  of  his  kingdom,  made  pro- 
vision against  such  an  evil.  In  its  progress  over  the 
world,  whether  Jewish  or  heathen,  it  might  indeed  lay 
hold  of  but  one  party,  a  husband,  or  a  wife,  already 
united ;  and  though  he  enjoined  the  union  in  this  case 
to  remain,  giving  prospect,  too,  of  the  conversion  of 
the  other  party ;  yet  the  union,  once  dissolved  by 


•'4? 

DOMESTIC  CONNECTRHUfLvr  J  y  '  33 

death,  whatever  liberty  was  enjoye^v  i^at  »^jsijbj^c| 
to  one  condition.  In  the  case  supposfeSi^**^^^ 
it  happens  to  be  the  female  to  whom  allusion  is  made, 
but  the  law  is  one.  "  She  is  at  liberty  to  be  mar- 
ried to  whom  she  will,  only  in  the  Lord"  For  a  literal 
precept,  on  the  part  of  our  Lord,  there  had  been  no 
necessity  whatever,  the  nature  and  genius  of  his  own 
kingdom  being  regarded;  and  the  incidental  manner  in 
which  this  injunction  occurs,  is,  to  the  intelligent  reader 
of  Scripture,  the  strongest  confirmation  of  the  rule  in  all 
cases  where  marriage  is  in  prospect,  and  when  there 
has  been  no  engagement  previous  to  conversion.  The 
inspired  writer  is  manifestly  recognizing,  by  the  way, 
a  general  rule — the  universal  moral  obligation  of  the 
Christian. 

Should  any  reader  startle  at  this  exposition,  not  to  say 
object  to  it,  I  can  only  now  say,  that,  in  such  a  case,  the 
disposition  to  appreciate,  and  the  spirit  to  imbibe,  the 
intimations  of  the  divine  record,  will  be  found,  on  re- 
flection, at  a  low  ebb  indeed,  if  not  altogether  wanting. 
Such  a  reader  has  yet  to  learn  and  to  study  the  nature 
and  the  genius  of  the  Messiah's  kingdom.  No,  the  Sa- 
viour, without  doubt  or  controversy,  evidently  intended,  in 
every  age,  to  lay  hold  of  this  his  own  institution,  not  only 
preserving  it  in  its  original  purity,  but  employing  it  as  one 
powerful  auxiliary  to  his  kingdom ;  and  disregard  to  him 
in  this  one  matter  alone,  by  any  community,  must  ever 
work  the  ruin  of  vital  Christianity  there. 

Thus,  upon  entering  on  one  of  the  most  important  rela- 
tions common  to  man,  and  in  taking  a  step  which  is  by 
far  the  most  important  in  regard  to  this  life,  it  is  certainly 
not  a  little  remarkable,  that  divine  revelation  should  sug- 
gest to  both  parties  the  absolute  necessity  of  personal 
religion.  For  never  let  it  be  forgotten,  that,  if  the  Chris- 
tian is  bound  in  this  step  by  one  indispensable  requisite, 


34  DOMESTIC  CONNECTIONS. 

it  is  not  less  the  duty  of  every  one,  whether  husband  or 
wife,  to  be  a  Christian.  This,  however,  is  a  subject  which 
will  naturally  present  itself  for  our  consideration  in  an- 
other place. 

PARENT  AND  CHILD. — A  connection  is  here  admitted 
at  once  by  many,  if  not  by  all ;  but  the  nature  of  it  is 
evidently  overlooked  by  multitudes,  misunderstood  or 
denied  by  others,  while  by  many  professing  Christians,  in 
every  denomination,  it  has  been  wofully  because  practi- 
cally disregarded.  Between  the  parent  and  his  children 
a  natural  connection  cannot  be  denied,  since  it  is  com- 
mon to  man  with  the  animal  creation  ;  and  as  he  rises  in 
value  so  far  above  mere  animal  nature,  the  natural  con- 
nection between  him  and  his  offspring  involves  much 
more  of  obligation.  Yet  the  sense  of  obligation  goes  with 
multitudes  so  little  way,  that  Scripture  and  reason  send 
them  for  lessons  of  reproof  and  warning  even  to  the  beasts 
of  the  field  and  the  fowls  of  heaven.  This  obligation 
arising  from  natural  connection,  were  human  nature  not 
corrupted  and  fallen,  would  go  a  prodigious  length,  but, 
as  it  is,  alas,  with  most,  it  ends  in  furnishing  certain  in- 
structions for  the  mind,  fitting  it  merely  for  the  business 
of  this  transitory  and  uncertain  life ;  and  if  to  these  in- 
structions be  added  a  portion,  great  or  small,  of  temporal 
good,  for  the  sustenance  or  gratification  of  the  animal 
frame,  the  duty  of  the  generation  going  away  has  been,  in 
the  estimation  of  many,  well  discharged. 

But  if,  over  and  above  the  natural  connection  admitted 
by  many  as  existing  between  the  two  generations,  there  is 
yet  another  of  far  superior  importance  revealed  in  Scrip- 
ture, what  shall  we  say  ?  If  there  is  an  instituted  con- 
nection, as  well  as  a  natural  one,  and  a  connection  of 
God's  own  institution  revealed  by  himself  for  our  govern- 
ment and  encouragement,  should  it  not  be  patiently 


DOMESTIC  CONNECTIONS.  35 

studied  1  Once  understood  and  regulated  by  it,  the  pri- 
maeval curse  will,  in  a  great  degree,  be  softened  into 
mercy. 

Until,  however,  the  very  basis,  or  first  principle  on 
which  this  serious  and  instituted  connection  depends,  be 
made  manifest,  it  cannot  be  thoroughly  comprehended. 
The  reader,  therefore,  must  not  be  startled  at  the  two 
tables  of  the  law  of  God  being  placed  before  him.  Yes, 
that  basis  of  all  the  order  and  harmony  in  the  universe, 
the  Moral  Law,  "to  which  all  things  in  heaven  and  earth 
do  homage,  the  very  least  as  feeling  her  care,  and  the 
greatest  as  not  exempted  from  her  power,"  must  direct  us 
here. 

This  law  is  generally  divided  into  two  tables ;  and  these 
have  been  summed  up,  by  the  Lawgiver  himself,  as  requir- 
ing the  love  of  God  by  the  first,  and  the  love  of  man  by 
the  second.  In  both  tables  it  will  be  seen,  that  parents 
are  especially  regarded.  Near  the  top  of  the  first,  no 
sooner  is  the  divine  unity  announced,  than  the  honor  and 
glory  of  God  are  placed  in  the  most  solemn  manner  under 
their  guardianship ;  and  at  the  very  top  of  the  second, 
stand  the  father  and  mother  by  name.  The  first  object  is 
to  secure  for  the  Almighty  the  sole  and  exclusive  venera- 
tion and  worship  of  all  his  intelligent  creatures,  arid  in 
order  to  this,  he  addresses  himself  to  the  root  or  head  of 
every  family.  Clothing  the  parent  with  high  authority,  as 
he  intended  to  do  in  the  second  table,  the  Almighty  first 
informs  him,  that  his  highest  aim  must  consist  in  maintain- 
ing the  honor  of  God  in  his  family,  and  for  this  end,  these 
remarkable  words  are  employed,  "  for  I,  the  Lord  thy 
God,  am  a  jealous  God,  visiting  the  iniquity  of  the 
fathers  upon  the  children)  unto  the  third  and  fourth  gen- 
erations of  them  that  hate  me ;  and  shewing  mercy  unto 
thousands  of  them  that  love  me  and  keep  my  command' 
ments." 


36  DOMESTIC  CONNECTIONS. 

To  this  distinct  and  solemn  intimation,  great  objections 
have  been  expressed ;  great  and  general  indifference  has 
been  evinced,  and  even  some  men  of  no  inferior  powers 
have  gone  so  far  as  to  suppose,  that  such  proceeding,  on 
God's  part,  actually  ceased  with  the  Old  Testament  dis- 
pensation, and,  that,  when  the  gospel  was  published,  and 
everlasting  punishment  was  still  more  clearly  threatened 
to  persevering  sinners,  the  former  mode  of  punishment 
was  left  off! 

If,  however,  the  Almighty  here  unfolds  his  own  univer- 
sal law,  and  if  he  has  continued  in  all  ages  to  act  accord- 
ingly, what  will  the  opinions  of  men  avail  1  "  There  is 
no  wisdom,  nor  understanding,  nor  counsel  against  the 
Lord  :  he  is  of  one  mind,  and  none  can  turn  him."  Let 
the  language  only  be  again  observed.  The  whole  is  said 
to  originate  in  the  jealousy  of  God.  Now,  had  this  jeal- 
ousy no  existence  until  these  words  were  uttered,  or  was 
it  confined,  in  all  its  merciful  severity,  to  the  people  to 
whom  it  was  addressed,  to  the  natural  posterity  of  Abra- 
ham, the  friend  of  God  ?  or  can  we  suppose  the  Almighty 
to  be  less  jealous  of  his  name  and  honor  now,  than  once  ? 
Is  it  not  rather  implied,  that  this  was  his  own  universal 
rule,  originating  in  his  own  character,  as  applicable  to  the 
constitution  of  human  nature  in  the  domestic  circle, 
coeval  with  sin  itself,  and  applied,  as  it  had  been,  to  the 
family  of  Adam,  the  father  of  mankind  ?  and  that,  from 
this  malediction,  even  Israel  could  only  be  exempted,  by 
conscientiously  observing  the  commandment  ?  "  That 
on  which  right  and  wrong  depend,"  even  a  heathen  sage 
has  told  us,  "  that  on  which  right  and  wrong  depend,  did 
not  begin  to  be  law  when  it  was  written  ;  it  is  older  than 
the  ages  of  nations  and  cities,  and  contemporary  with  the 
eternity  of  God."* 

*  Cicero. 


DOMESTIC  CONNECTIONS.  37 

Besides,  the  law  which  Moses  received  in  writing  on 
Sinai,  was  not  less  the  law  of  other  nations  and  times, 
though  given  to  Moses  for  Israel.  The  whole  economy 
of  which  he  was  the  legislator,  notwithstanding  its  minor 
peculiarities,  was  but  another  gracious  interposition  of 
God,  to  preserve  entire  the  knowledge  of  himself  and  his 
will,  in  a  world  from  which  man  would,  if  possible,  have 
excluded  both. 

When,  therefore,  Jehovah  said,  "  for  I  the  Lord  thy 
God  am  a  jealous  God,  visiting  the  iniquity  of  the  fathers 
on  the  children,"  he  intimated  at  once  what  He  had  been, 
what  He  was,  and  would  be  in  all  successive  generations. 
As  for  the  ages  past,  was  it  a  new  thing  in  the  earth  for 
him  to  act  in  the  spirit  and  letter  of  these  words  ?  Who, 
then,  were  these  people  to  whom  this  law  was  proclaimed, 
and  where  were  they  going?  Were  they  not  the  posterity 
of  Shem,  now  on  their  way  to  punish  the  posterity  of 
Ham  ?  A  question  which  at  once  carries  us  back  to  the 
infancy  of  a  second  world,  immediately  after  the  deluge, 
and  turns  the  mysterious  journey  of  Moses  and  his  breth- 
ren into  a  commentary  on  these  very  words.  When 
Noah  knew  what  his  younger  son  Ham  had  done  unto 
him,  he  said,  "  Cursed  be  Canaan  (the  son  of  Ham);  a 
servant  of  servants  shall  he  be  unto  his  brethren.  And 
he  said,  Blessed  be  the  Lord  God  of  Shem,  and  Canaan 
shall  be  his  servant."  Now,  does  not  this  descending 
curse  of  the  Almighty,  pronounced  by  Noah,  as  a  prophet, 
on  his  own  posterity,  stand  in  perfect  conformity  with  this, 
the  law  given  on  Sinai  ?  and  from  the  deluge  until  now, 
had  not  Jehovah,  as  a  jealous  God,  watched  over  its  ac- 
complishment? Surely  this  conspicuous  prophecy,  and 
its  fulfilment  reaching  through  so  many  generations, 
may  suffice  instead  of  many  illustrations.  Several  ques- 
tions, however,  I  am  aware,  rise  out  of  the  brief  narrative 
in  Genesis.  Why  should  Noah  take  occasion  to  denounce 
4 


38  DOMESTIC  CONNECTIONS. 

the  conduct  of  his  son,  with  such  solemn  severity,  and 
and  that  too  in  the  person  of  his  grandchild,  the  first-born 
of  Ham?  Had  Canaan,  as  it  has  been  conjectured,  first 
given  occasion  to  his  father's  irreverence  and  impiety  ? 
So  it  should  seem  from  the  terms  employed — "  Ham,  the 
father  of  Canaan:"  but,  at  all  events,  Ham  is  repre- 
sented as  having  sinned,  and  to  such  extent  as  to  deserve 
this  awful  threatening.  Tinctured,  it  should  seem,  with 
the  maxims  of  Cain  and  his  posterity,  and  supposing,  it 
may  be,  that  the  promise  of  the  Messiah  was  either  frus- 
trated in  the  death  of  Abel,  or  altogether  false,  he  made 
his  father  the  subject  of  his  mockery. 

Now,  who  was  this  man  Noah?  In  Scripture,  no  ex- 
tenuation of  his  guilt  in  being  overcome  by  wine  is  to  be 
found  ;  and  he  lived  long  after  this  to  read  his  own  sin  in 
the  punishment  which  he  was  now  inspired  to  pronounce  : 
but  did  not  Ham  know  the  meaning  of  the  very  name 
given  to  his  father  by  Lamech  ?  "  He  called  his  name 
Noah  (consolation),  saying  this  same  shall  comfort  us 
concerning  our  work  and  toil  of  our  hands,  because  of  the 
ground  which  the  Lord  hath  cursed."  Noah,  too,  had 
done  honor  to  his  name ;  was  a  just  man,  and  had  so 
walked  with  God,  that  He  had  said,  "  Thee  have  I  seen 
righteous  before  me  in  this  generation."  For  more  than 
a  century  did  his  son  know  him  to  have  been  a  preacher 
of  righteousness ;  and,  moved  by  fear,  he  had  seen  him 
preparing  the  ark  for  the  salvation  of  his  household.  His 
father's  piety  had  ensured  to  him  a  secure  abode,  and  he 
had  thus  outlived  a  storm  in  which  the  world  was  in- 
gulphed.  After  this,  too,  it  should  be  remembered  that 
Jehovah  had  spoken  to  "  Noah,  and  to  his  sons  with  him, 
saying,  And  I,  behold  I  establish  my  covenant  with  you, 
and  your  seed  after  you." 

When,  therefore,  Ham,  who  had  been  so  singularly 
saved  from  a  deluge  which  had  swept  away  every  father 


DOMESTIC  CONNECTIONS.  39 

except  his  own ;  when  he,  though  one  of  only  eight  souls, 
and  these  the  members  of  one  family  ;  when  he,  who  had 
so  escaped,  in  consequence  of  the  faith  and.  pious  fear  of 
his  own  parent,  presumed  to  mock,  not  the  virtue,  but  the 
sin  of  this,  his  father ;  for  his  combined  impiety  and  filial 
disobedience,  the  displeasure  of  God  is  pronounced  over 
him  and  his  posterity,  by  the  lips,  too,  of  this  very 
parent.* 

No  doubt  different  interpretations  of  the  cause  of  this 
curse,  from  the  lips  of  Noah,  may  be  assigned ;  but  a 
cause  there  was,  and  descend  it  did,  in  solemn  illustration 
of  this  serious  and  instituted  connection  between  parent 
and  child,  so  that  both  Ham  and  his  posterity  were  in- 
volved in  this  lowering  prophecy.  Accordingly,  long 
afterwards,  many  of  them  perished  miserably  in  Sodom 
and  Gomorrah,  for  crimes  which  seem  to  have  also  orig- 
inated in  the  neglect  of  family-government.  Nay,  about 
eight  hundred  and  fifty,  or,  according  to  Hales,  above 
fifteen  hundred  years  after  Noah's  prophetic  denunciation, 
Egpyt,  which  was  "  the  land  of  Ham,"  suffered  awfully 
in  the  Exodus,  while  Shem's  posterity  are  now  on  the 
way  from  Egypt,  commissioned  to  expel  the  posterity  of 
Canaan.  The  remnant  who  survive  and  remain,  are  to 
be  "  servants  to  their  brethren ; "  and  so  were  employed 
in  servile  work  by  Solomon  and  his  successors. 

On  the  other  hand,  an  illustration  equally  striking  of 
the  blessing  now  announced  in  the  decalogue,  is  furnished 
by  a  reference  to  Shem  and  his  posterity. 

Shem  had  acted  differently,  and  he  is  blessed  indeed. 
Noah,  too,  shall  live  long  enough  to  see  his  prophecy  of 
blessing  also  fulfilled,  though  he  died  before  Abraham  was 
born.  As  for  Shem,  on  whom  the  blessing  was  pro- 
nounced, he  shall  live  to  enjoy  it ;  and  so  the  gradual 

*  For  the  cause  why  a  curse  so  severe  was  pronounced  on  Ham 
and  his  posterity,  see  the  Reflections  of  Allix,  Part  I.  Chap.  13. 


40  DOMESTIC  CONNECTIONS. 

abbreviation  of  human  existence,  from  Noah  to  Abraham, 
was  rendered  subservient  to  the  most  gracious  of  ends. 
Thus,  when  Isaac,  the  child  of  promise,  was  married, 
Shein  was  yet  alive,  and  in  him  he  saw  his  posterity  of 
the  tenth  generation  ;  even  in  Abraham  the  ninth,  and 
Isaac  the  tenth,  in  lineal  descent,  he  might  see  his  pos- 
terity receiving  the  promise  of  the  future  Saviour  with 
faith  and  joy  ;  Abraham  being  above.  140,  and  Isaac  more 
than  40  years  of  age  before  he  expired  !  Nor  did  Shem 
alone  survive ;  Arphaxad,  his  son,  as  well  as  Reu  of  the 
fifth  generation,  Serug  of  the  sixth,  and  Terah  of  the 
eighth,  were  all  alive  in  the  time  of  Abraham  ;  nay,  two 
other  descendants,  Salah  and  Eber,  were  living  as  well  as 
Shem,  in  the  days  of  Isaac ;  and  the  last  of  these,  Eber, 
the  great  grandson  of  Shem,  though  born  2281  B.  C., 
having  reached  the  age  of  464,  survived  the  death  of 
Abraham  several  years.  Never  was  there  such  a  family- 
group  capable  of  being  assembled  as  this ;  and  although 
separated  from  each  other,  in  consequence  of  Abraham's 
removal  to  Canaan,  with  each  other's  existence,  and  pros- 
pects, and  blessings,  they  must  have  been  acquainted. 
The  journey  of  Eleazar  of  Damascus  into  Mesopotamia, 
to  procure  Rebekah  for  Isaac,  would  convert  all  mere  re- 
port and  conjecture  into  certainty. 

Thus,  if  Adam  himself  survived  to  be  both  tried  in  the 
death  of  Abel,  and  blessed  in  the  piety  of  Seth  and  Enos ; 
so  Noah,  at  the  beginning  of  a  new  world,  continued  to 
live  and  pass  through  the  same  course.  Long  too  as  the 
period  may  seem,  from  the  creation  to  the  time  of  Moses, 
all  difficulty  as  to  the  mind  of  God,  on  any  subject,  being 
distinctly  known,  and  certainly  handed  down,  will  vanish 
at  once,  when  the  ages  of  the  antediluvians,  and  the 
gradual  abbreviation  of  human  existence,  from  Noah  to 
Moses,  are  observed.  Yes,  although  the  world  had  gone 
on  for  above  two  thousand  five  hundred  years  before  this 


DOMESTIC  CONNECTIONS.  41 

law  thus  promulgated  from  Sinai,  it  should  be  remem- 
bered that  all  the  patriarchs  before  Noah,  were  born 
before  Adam  died,  and  the  chain  of  communication  even 
from  Adam  to  Moses,  will  be  found  to  have  contained 
little  more  than  four  links !  From  Adam  to  Noah  there 
was  but  one  man,  Methuselah,  who  joined  hands  with 
both;  from  Noah  to  Abraham  there  was  only  this  one 
individual,  Shem,  who,  for  450  years,  was  familiar  with 
Noah,  and  lived  till  Abraham  was  nearly  150  years  old ; 
from  Abraham  to  Joseph  there  was  only  one  individual, 
Isaac ;  and  from  Joseph,  a  fourth  individual,  viz.  Amram, 
the  father  of  Moses,  who  must  have  long  and  frequently 
seen  Joseph. 

All  these  calculations  are  made,  it  is  granted,  according 
to  the  chronology  noted  on  the  margin  of  the  Bible,  which 
as  yet  is  most  generally  followed  ;  but  should  the  reader 
have  consulted  the  able  and  interesting  chronology  of 
Hales,  and  feel  partial  to  it;  then,  extended  though 
the  period  seem,  he  will  find,  that  still  there  was  from 
Adam  even  to  Noah  only  one  individual,  viz.  Mahalaleel. 
Indeed,  though  the  whole  period,  from  Adam  to  Moses, 
be  thus  extended  to  above  3700  years,  still  the  chain  of 
communication  does  not  embrace  above  six,  or,  at  most, 
seven  individuals. 

In  addition  to  what  has  been  said,  I  notice  one  pe- 
culiarity of  these  times,  which  must  have  had  a  most 
powerful  influence  in  perpetuating  the  knowledge  of 
divine  truth.  When  these  aged  men  lay  on  their  death- 
bed, it  seems  to  have  been  their  custom  to  record,  in  the 
ear  of  their  posterity  now  standing  round,  the  most 
important  and  fundamental  principles  of  their  faith;  a 
practice  which  must  have  been  attended  to  with  the 
greater  solemnity  by  their  children,  from  the  circumstance 
that,  occasionally  at  least,  as  if  to  guild  their  dying  hour, 
the  aged  parent  was  indulged  with  some  peculiar  man- 
4* 


42  DOMESTIC  CONNECTIONS. 

ifestation  of  the  divine  favor,  in  the  way  of  prophecy,  and, 
in  some  cases,  of  prophecy  involving  at  once  the  future 
fortunes  of  his  posterity,  and  the  progress  of  the  divine 
economy  relating  to  the  Messiah.  Indeed  all  the  prophe- 
cies respecting  Him,  from  Adam  to  Moses,  are  of  a 
domestic  character,  and  were  either  given  to  parents, 
with  some  reference  to  posterity,  or,  as  in  the  remarkable 
case  of  Jacob,  uttered  by  a  parent  at  the  close  of  life, 
with  reference  to  each  of  his  children. 

After  all,  it  would  not  be  doing  justice  to  the  subject 
before  us,  and  the  ages  before  the  time  of  Moses,  were  I 
not  to  go  out  of  this  line  altogether,  and  call  an  indepen- 
dent witness,  as  well  as  the  most  ancient,  to  whom  we 
can  refer.  He  and  his  friends  will  show,  that  though  the 
corruption  of  idolatry  might  have  infected  the  progenitors 
of  Abraham,  the  Gentile  world,  if  I  may  so  call  it,  even 
then  exhibited,  not  only  ample  knowledge  of  the  true  God, 
but  such  a  sense  of  parental  obligation,  as  may  serve  for 
a  pattern  to  any  age.  I  refer  to  Job,  an  Idumean,  the 
faithful  witness,  in  his  day,  not  only  to  the  creation  of  the 
world  by  one  supreme  Being — the  government  of  the 
world  by  the  power  of  God — the  corruption  of  human 
nature— the  necessity  of  sacrifices  to  propitiate — the  hope 
of  the  Messiah,  and  the  certainty  of  a  future  resurrection, 
— but  to  the  peculiar  obligations  of  a  parent.  Yes,  the 
contents  of  the  Book  of  Job,  the  most  ancient  piece  of 
authentic  writing  upon  record,  are  strongly  corroborative 
of  this  subject,  as  well  as  of  the  evils  descending  on  those 
who  neglect  such  obligations. 

The  long  controversy  which  took  place  between  that 
illustrious  man  and  his  three  friends,  is  remarkable  on 
many  accounts.  Although  not  sustained  in  its  masculine 
vein  of  thought,  by  any  assistance  which  might  have  been 
derived,  from  reference  to  such  stupendous  proofs  of 
divine  judgment  as  the  destruction  of  Sodom  or  of  Egypt, 


DOMESTIC  CONNECTIONS.  43 

which  had  not  yet  taken  place  ;  nor  to  such  important 
subsequent  events  as  the  Exodus  or  the  giving  of  the  law; 
and  although  the  friends  of  Job  erred  in  judgment,  and 
were  reproved ;  yet  the  whole  controversy  is  strikingly 
illustrative  of  their  knowledge  of  God  and  his  ways,  both 
in  kind  and  degree.  On  the  particular  subject  also  to 
which  I  now  advert,  however  they  might  disagree  respect- 
ing the  case  before  them,  both  Job  and  his  friends  were 
here,  as  well  as  in  their  general  views,  in  perfect  harmony. 
"  I  have  seen  the  foolish  taking  root,"  said  Eliphaz  ;  "  but 
suddenly  I  cursed  his  habitation.  His  children  are  far 
from  safety,  and  they  are  crushed  in  the  gate ;  neither  is 
there  any  to  deliver  them."  "  How  oft  is  the  candle  of 
the  wicked  put  out?  "  replies  Job,  "  and  how  oft  cometh 
their  destruction  upon  them  !  God  distributeth  sorrows 
in  his  anger.  They  are  as  stubble  before  the  wind,  and 
as  chaff  that  the  storm  carrieth  away.  God  layeth  up  his 
iniquity  (that  is,  the  punishment  of  his  iniquity),  for  his 
children ;  he  rewardeth  him,  and  he  shall  know  it.  His 
eyes  shall  see  his  destruction,  and  he  shall  drink  of  the 
wrath  of  the  Almighty ;  for  what  pleasure  hath  he  in  his 
house  after  him,  when  the  number  of  his  months  is  cut  off 
in  the  midst?" 

Confessedly  mysterious  as  were  the  sufferings  of  Job, 
with  principles  such  as  these  we  shall  find  his  practice  in 
perfect  harmony.  He  had  seven  sons  and  three  daughters, 
all  grown  up;  and  of  the  manner  in  which  they  had  been 
trained  and  instructed  by  him,  any  one  may  judge,  by 
what  is  recorded  of  him,  when  they  arrived  at  the  years 
of  maturity.  Each  of  these  sons  had  a  house  and  table  of 
his  own,  to  which,  at  least  on  their  birth-day,  these  three 
sisters  were  usually  invited.  Here  there  was  nothing  wrong, 
but,  on  the  contrary,  a  fine  exhibition  of  family  harmony 
and  love.  Now,  the  previous  care  and  watchfulness,  the 
established  authority  and  piety  of  Job  may  be  conjectured, 


44  DOMESTIC  CONNECTIONS. 

from  his  constant  practice,  and  the  as  constant  compliance 
of  his  children,  after  such  family  festivity.  His  authority 
he  had  not  even  now  laid  aside,  nor  had  he,  even  when 
his  children  were  thus  far  advanced  in  life,  altogether  let 
go  the  reins.  At  the  same  time,  like  a  judicious  parent, 
no  anxiety  was  expressed  by  him,  but  upon  owe  point — the 
possibility  of  his  children  having,  in  some  way,  offended 
God  at  such  seasons. 

And  his  sons  were  wont  to  hold  a  banquet-house, 

Every  one  on  his  birth-day  ; 

When  they  sent  and  invited  their  three  sisters 

To  eat  and  drink  together  with  them. 

And  it  came  to  pass,  as  the  days  of  such  banquets  returned, 

That  Job  sent  for  and  sanctified  them ; 

And  made  ready  in  the  morning,  and  offered  burnt-offerings, 

According  to  the  number  of  them  all  : 

For,  said  Job,  perad venture  my  sons 

May  have  sinned,  nor  blessed  God  in  their  hearts. — 

Thus  did  Job  on  every  such  day.* 

The  high-toned  parental  feeling  of  this  passage  is 
manifest.  Here  we  see  a  father  who  thought  not  for 
himself  alone  ;  who,  when  he  could  go  no  further  than  a 
peradventure,  waited  not,  like  Eli,  till  God  should  send  a 
message  to  threaten  him  for  the  sins  of  his  children. 
Aware  that  he  might  be  visited  as  a  parent,  in  his  own 
person  or  in  theirs,  for  the  sin  which  he  did  not  redress, 
and  for  which  he  sought  not  forgiveness  and  reconcilia- 
tion, he  sent  and  sanctified  his  children,  and  offered  up 
sacrifices  "  according  to  the  number  of  them  all."  The 
deep  sense  of  his  responsibility  to  God  for  the  conduct  of 
his  children  ;  their  obedience  to  an  authority  not  even 
yet  resigned  ;  his  tenderness  of  conscience ;  his  unre- 
mitting care ;  and  the  wisdom  of  his  conjecture,  it  is 

*  See  Good's  Translation  of  Job  i.  4,  5,  and  the  Notes;  also 
Tyndal's  Translation.  1549. 


DOMESTIC  CONNECTIONS.  45 

impossible  not  to  admire.  Surely  this  parent  will  be 
allowed  to  have  acted  under  the  influence  of  the  pre- 
cise principle  laid  down  in  the  commandment  which  we 
now  consider  ;  yet  did  this  eminent  man  live  long  before 
Moses,  and  was  confessedly  altogether  out  of  the  usual 
line  of  scripture  characters.* 

Thus  it  appears,  not  only  that  parental  and  filial  duty 
had  been  the  common  law  of  man,  before  the  decalogue 
was  given  on  Sinai,  or  a  single  Mosaic  statute  was  in 
existence ;  not  only  that  the  connection  between  parent 
and  child  had  been  well  understood  from  the  beginning, 
and  in  various  recorded  instances  finely  exemplified,  but 
that  the  very  sanction  of  the  second  commandment  had 
been  applied  by  the  Almighty,  and  its  spirit  imbibed  by 
those  who  feared  his  name. 

To  return,  however,  from  a  digression  perhaps  too  long, 
and  account  for  the  light  which  the  decalogue  now  re- 
flected on  the  domestic  constitution  :  the  truth  is,  that 
though  parental  and  filial  duty  had  been  incumbent  from 
the  beginning,  the  insertion  of  the  second  as  well  as  the. 
fifth  among  the  ten  commandments,  by  the  finger  of  God 
himself,  at  such  a  juncture,  and  in  such  terms,  became 
necessary  for  important  reasons.  For  our  present  purpose, 
one  only  is  quite  sufficient. 

The  law  of  all  preceding  ages,  when  every  Father  of  a 
family  had  been  its  priest  as  well  as  its  teacher,  now  de- 
manded notice.  It  was  about  to  undergo  some  change, 
though  this  was  not  until  that  moment  when  the  dispen- 
sation began,  which  was  more  clearly  to  prefigure,  and 
ultimately  to  introduce  the  Messiah.  Parental  and  filial 
duty  were  therefore  only  made  the  law  of  parents  and 
children  formally,  when  the  priestly  office  was  about  to 
be  transferred  and  confined  to  one  particular  tribe.  The 

*  See  the  case  of  Job  again  referred  to  under  Section  Fifth. 


46  DOMESTIC  CONNECTIONS. 

ceremonies  of  divine  service  might,  it  seems,  be  thus 
transferred  and  even  confined ;  not  so  universal  and 
unalienable  obligations.  Parental  moral  obligations,  with 
regard  to  the  character  and  worship  of  God,  remained 
entire,  and  though  employed  as  a  safeguard  against 
idolatry,  they  were  placed  neither  upon  new  nor  upon 
higher  ground.*  "Thou  shalt  have  no  other  gods  before 
me.  Thou  shalt  not  make  unto  thee  any  graven  image, 
or  any  likeness  of  any  thing  that  is  in  heaven  above,  or 
that  is  in  earth  beneath,  or  that  is  in  the  water  under  the 
earth :  for  I  the  Lord  thy  God  am  a  jealous  God,  visiting 
the  iniquity  of  the  fathers  upon  the  children,  unto  the  third 
and  fourth  generation  of  them  that  hate  me  ;  and  shewing 
mercy  unto  thousands  of  them  that  love  me  and  keep  my 
commandments" 

Such  then,  by  the  peculiar  style  of  this  law,  is  the 
shield  held  by  an  Almighty  hand  over  the  most  helpless 
and  dependent  of  all  created  beings,  from  the  moment  of 

*  Precisely  the  same  remark  will  apply  to  the  fourth  command- 
ment. A  great  multiplicity  of  new  external  rites  were  about  to 
be  imposed.  The  Sabbath,  ancient  as  the  first  week  of  time,  re- 
quired now  to  be  guarded  and  sanctioned,  lest  the  laborious  and 
daily  occupations  of  the  Mosaic  economy  should  invade  the  sanctity 
of  that  merciful  and  blessed  day.  "  Amidst  the  complicated  variety 
of  new  appointments,"  as  though  it  had  been  said,  "  forget  not  the 
old,  the  unalterable,  the  invariably  incumbent — Remember  the  Sab- 
bath-day to  keep  it  holy;  for  in  six  days  Jehovah  made  heaven 
and  earth,  the  sea,  and  all  that  in  them  is,  and  rested  the  seventh 
day ;  wherefore  Jehovah  blessed  the  Sabbath-day  and  (then  of 
course)  hallowed  it."  Yes,  the  reason  for  this  commandment  is  at 
once  the  proof  of  its  antiquity  and  previous  obligation  ;  the  Sabbath 
being  originally  "made  for  man,"  and  made  for  him  while  yet  in 
the  garden  of  Eden.  Hence  the  division  of  time  into  weeks,  so 
repeatedly  referred  to  in  Genesis ;  the  matrimonial  feast  and  mourn- 
ing for  the  dead,  equally  of  seven  days'  duration;  hence,  too, 
probably,  when  Noah  sent  forth  the  raven,  he  tarried  seven  days ; 
and  when  the  dove,  he  tarried  three  times  in  succession  other  seven. 
A  like  period  the  Almighty  waited,  after  smiting  the  Nile  and 
turning  it  into  blood.  If,  as  has  been  supposed  with  good  reason, 


DOMESTIC  CONNECTIONS.  47 

birth,  and  such  the  law  by  which  He  prepares  the  Parents 
for  the  fulfilment  of  duties  devolving  necessarily  on  them 
alone.  Nor  is  Nature  silent  on  such  an  occasion  as  this. 
What  though  man  is  born  the  most  helpless  and  depen- 
dent of  all  living?  In  the  first  hours  of  his  existence, 
"  when  a  few  indistinct  or  unmeaning  cries  are  his  only 
language,  he  exercises  an  authority  irresistible  over  hearts, 
of  the  very  existence  of  which  he  is  ignorant  and  uncon- 
scious;" nor  will  the  infant  wait  long  before  he  advances 
in  his  claims  and  in  his  influence.  A  few  weeks  only 
will  pass  away,  when  the  smile,  and  the  shedding  of  tears, 
emotions  peculiar  to  his  species,  will  bind  the  two  parties 
together,  by  ties  which  seem  to  say,  that  duties  of  no 
common  order  are  involved  in  this  connection. 

Let  but  this  voice  of  Nature  unite  with  that  of  Revela- 
tion, and  then  the  connection  between  parent  and  child 
will  be  at  once  understood  and  felt :  a  connection,  how- 
ever, which  will  derive  further  illustration  from  the  fourth 

the  Egyptians  prevented  the  children  of  Israel  from  observing  the 
Sabbath;  had  Pharaoh  no  reference  to  this  sacred  rest  when  he  said, 
"  Wherefore  do  ye,  Moses  and  Aaron,  let  the  people  from  their 
works  ?  Behold  the  people  of  the  land  now  are  many,  and  ye 
make  them  rest  from  their  burdens."  But  whether  he,  in  these 
words,  referred  to  the  Sabbath  and  the  interference  of  Moses  in  its 
favor,  or  not,  what  could  Jehovah  himself  intend,  when,  before  the 
giving  of  the  law  on  Sinai,  he  said  to  Moses,  "  How  long  refuse  ye 
to  keep  my  commandments  and  my  laws  ?  See,  for  that  the  Lord 
hath  given  you  the  Sabbath,  (not  the  law,  but  the  opportunity  to 
observe  it,  and  ye  can  no  longer  plead  excuse  as  you  might  in 
Egypt,)  therefore  he  giveth  you  on  the  sixth  day  the  bread  of  two 
days;  so  the  people  rested  on  the  seventh  day."  Had  the  institu- 
tion not  been  observed  by  their  progenitors,  how  could  the  nation 
have  possibly  understood  this  remonstrance  ?  And,  finally,  when 
the  decalogue  itself  was  put  into  the  hand  of  Moses,  how  came 
phraseology  so  peculiar  to  be  employed  with  regard  to  this  sacred 
day,  if  it  was  not  ancient  as  the  first  week  of  time,  obligatory  from 
the  period  of  the  creation,  and  commemorative  of  that  mighty  work? 
Hence  it  was  said,  "  Remember  the  Sabbath-day  to  keep  it  holy,  for 
in  six  days,"  &c. 


48  DOMESTIC  CONNECTIONS. 

and  fifth  Sections,  in  which  the  descending  penalty  and 
blessing  are  more  fully  considered. 

BROTHERS  AND  SISTERS. — While  society  at  large  has 
been  divided  with  sufficient  propriety  into  three  classes, 
superiors,  inferiors,  and  equals,  it  must  ever  be  remem- 
bered, by  almost  every  human  being,  that  he  never  will 
be  able  to  fulfil  the  duties  imposed  upon  him  by  God, 
except  he  regard  himself  as  standing  between  the  two 
extremes ;  for  as  any  man  with  ease  can  fix  his  eye  upon 
an  inferior,  so  at  all  times  there  are  many  whom  he  must 
regard  as  superior  to  himself.  Now,  it  is  not  unworthy  of 
notice,  that,  as  though  it  were,  and  most  probably  is,  with 
a  view  to  all  the  adventures  of  future  life,  this  is  the 
precise  ground  on  which  every  child  is  placed,  by  the 
providence  of  God,  in  every  family  where  there  are 
servants  as  well  as  parents ;  and  as  the  children  of  such 
families  are  destined  to  act  a  more  important  part  in  civil 
society,  so  are  they,  even  from  infancy,  placed  in  a  cor- 
respondingly advantageous  situation. 

When,  however,  we  speak  of  inferiors  and  superiors  in 
society  at  large,  a  twofold  distinction  must  be  kept  in 
view  :  one  consists  in  what  has  been  styled  rank  in  society, 
the  other  consists  in  moral  worth.  The  former,  though 
far  inferior  in  importance,  though  of  a  transitory  nature, 
and  soon  must  pass  away,  as  it  is  a  distinction  of  God's 
own  creation  which  he  is  determined  to  maintain,  it 
ought  to  be  treated  with  becoming  respect.  At  the  same 
time,  this  is  not  only  compatible  with  a  regard  to  the 
second  distinction,  but  regard  to  character  as  well  as 
rank  becomes  absolutely  necessary  to  every  man,  if  he 
would  avoid  dishonest  servility  on  the  one  hand,  or  tyran- 
nical disdain  on  the  other.  Here  again,  therefore,  we 
see  the  advantageous  ground  on  which  the  children  of 
such  a  family  are  placed,  for  initiating  them  into  the 


DOMESTIC  CONNECTIONS.  49 

duties  which  must  one  day  devolve  upon  them.  And,  oh, 
what  an  argument  do  the  children  furnish,  to  both  parents 
and  servants,  their  superiors  and  inferiors  in  rank,  for 
enforcing  the  necessity  of  moral  worth  ! 

The  main  object,  however,  of  these  few  remarks,  is  to 
induce  consideration,  not  only  of  the  peculiar  ground  on 
which  children  stand,  but  of  the  connection  which  sub- 
sists between  brothers  and  sisters,  or  between  the  children 
though  of  one  sex.     If  the   connection  of  children  with 
parents  is  intended  to  produce  submission  and  respect  for 
their  superiors ;  their  connection  with  a  servant,  courtesy 
and  good-will ;    so  their   connection   with  each  other   is 
manifestly  intended  to  initiate  them  into  the  sacred  and 
equal  duties  of  friendship.     Now,  if  friendship  in  general 
be  indeed  the  cement  of  the  soul,  the   sweetener  of  life, 
the  solder  of  society ;  "  and  if  it  be  delightful  to  enjoy 
the  continued  friendship  of  those  who  are  endeared  to  us 
by  the  intimacy  of  many  years,  who   can   discourse  with 
us  of  the  adventures  and  studies  of  youth,  or  of  the  years 
when   we  first  ranked  ourselves   with  men  in  the   free 
society  of  the  world ;  how  delightful  must  be  the   friend- 
ship of  those  who,  accompanying  us  through  all  this  long 
period,  with  a  closer  union  than  any  casual  friend,  can  go 
still  farther  back,  from  the  school  to  the  very  nursery,  which 
witnessed  our  common  pastimes ;  who  have  had  an  interest 
in  every  event  that  has  related  to  us,  and  in  every  person 
to  whom  we  have  been  attached ;  who  have  honored  with  us 
those  to  whom  we  have  paid  every  filial  honor  in  life,  and 
wept  with  us  over  those  whose  death  has  been  to  us  the 
most  lasting  sorrow  of  oar  heart !     Such,  in  its  wide  un- 
broken sympathy,  is  the  friendship  of  brothers,  or  of  brothers 
and  sisters — considered  even  as  friendship  only.     But  how 
many  circumstances  of  additional  interest  does  this  union 
receive,  from  the  common  relationship  to  those  who  have 
original  claims  to  our  still  higher  regard,  and  to  whom  we 
5 


50  DOMESTIC  CONNECTIONS. 

offer  such  an  acceptable  service,  in  extending  our  affec- 
tions to  those  whom  they  love?" 

"  In  treating  of  the  circumstances  that  tend  peculiarly  to 
strengthen  this  tie,  an  ancient  classical  writer  extends  his 
view  even  to  the  common  sepulchre  which  is  at  last  to 
enclose  the  entire  family  !  It  is  indeed  a  powerful  image 
— a  symbol  and  almost  a  lesson  of  unanimity.  Every  dis- 
sension of  man  with  man  excites  in  us  a  feeling  of  painful 
incongruity;  but  we  feel  a  peculiar  incongruity  in  the 
discord  of  those  whom  one  roof  has  continued  to  shelter 
during  life,  and  whose  dust  is  afterwards  to  be  mingled 
under  one  common  stone ! " 

The  connection,  therefore,  which  we  now  consider,  in- 
volves in  it  "  the  duties  of  a  cordial  intimacy,  rendered 
more  sacred  by  relationship  to  the  parents  from  whom  we 
have  sprung,  and  to  whom  we  owe  common  duties,  as  we 
have  been  objects  of  common  cares.  By  the  peculiar 
attachment  of  brothers  and  sisters,  and  the  mutual  services 
thence  arising,  the  world  is  at  last  enriched  with  the  re- 
ciprocal enjoyments  of  a  regard  that  has  already  formed 
friends,  before  it  could  have  thought  of  seeking  them. 
Surrounded  by  the  aged  only,  or  at  least  by  those  who 
are  aged  in  comparison,  the  child  would  have  learned 
only  to  respect  and  obey ;  but  with  the  little  society  of  his 
equals  around  him,  he  learns  that  independence  and 
equality  of  friendship  which  train  him  to  the  affections 
that  are  worthy  of  a  free  and  undaunted  spirit,  in  the 
liberty  and  equal  society  of  maturer  years."* 

MASTER  AND  SERVANT. — Of  all  domestic  connections, 
this,  perhaps,  is  least  understood,  or,  at  least,  is  most 
neglected.  In  the  two  preceding  cases,  Nature,  imper- 
fect and  corrupt  as  she  is,  has  come  in  with  her  aid ;  but 

*  Brown's  Lectures  on  Moral  Philosophy. 


DOMESTIC  CONNECTIONS.  51 

this  is  a  connection,  affecting  at  the  same  time  the  vital 
interest  of  a  family,  which  is  left  by  God  to  conscience 
and  Scripture  alone.  Should  these  two  be  neglected, 
what  wonder  if  the  duty  on  either  side  is  not  fulfilled  1 
Between  master  and  servant,  indeed,  a  civil  connection 
is  at  once  admitted,  and  by  the  laws  of  various  nations 
this  is  recognized;  but  though  it  is  admitted  to  be  of 
moral  obligation,  with  many  it  extends  in  no  degree  to 
the  care  of  the  soul,  nor  is  there  imagined  by  many  to  be 
any  thing  of  this  nature  involved  in  it.  Let  the  servant 
only  be  obedient  and  courteous,  faithful,  and,  in  some 
degree,  interested  about  the  welfare  of  the  family  ;  and 
let  the  master,  in  addition  to  the  regular  payment  of  the 
stipulated  hire,  only  add  a  trifle,  occasionally,  by  way  of 
encouragement  or  reward,  and  then  both  parties  conceive 
that  they  have  well  fulfilled  their  mutual  obligations. 
Multitudes,  however,  of  persons  professing  the  Christian 
religion,  go  not  even  so  far  as  this :  the  poor  and  misera- 
ble light  in  which  they  regard  this  connection  being 
nothing  more  than  that  of  a  covenant  for  labor,  and  wages 
in  exchange. 

Now,  surely  that  fine  and  extensive  power,  which,  by 
the  constitution  of  a  family,  is  deposited  in  the  master's 
hand,  was  never  lodged  there  for  such  a  trivial  purpose 
as  this.  It  is  granted,  that  the  connection  is  far  inferior 
to  any  one  of  the  three  already  considered.  It  may  also 
very  soon  be  dissolved,  and  this  very  power  of  dismission, 
like  the  act  of  transportation  or  banishment  in  a  state, 
being  left  in  the  master's  option,  is  one  striking  proof  of 
the  divine  regard  for  the  best  interests  of  his  own  institu- 
tion, the  domestic  circle ;  but  still  the  household  servant 
cannot,  must  not,  be  regarded  as  an  alien.  Though  not 
born  in  the  house,  such  a  domestic  has  been  ingrafted, 
and  is  in  fact  a  branch  of  the  family.  If  proof  were  want- 
ing, let  any  one  look  at  the  injury  or  the  benefit  which, 


52  DOMESTIC  CONNECTIONS. 

through  him  or  her,  the  master's  interest,  or  property,  or 
character,  nay,  or  the  beloved  children,  may  sustain. 

There  is  one  expression  in  Sacred  Writ,  which,  though 
only  incidentally  employed,  is  powerfully  descriptive  of 
the  connection  which  God  has  instituted  between  a  mas- 
ter or  mistress  and  the  household  servant.  "  The  heir," 
says  Paul,  "  as  long  as  he  is  a  child,  differeth  nothing 
from  a  servant,  though  he  be  Lord  of  all,  but  is  under 
tutors  and  governors  until  the  time  appointed  of  the 
Father."  But  the  connection  between  parent  and  child, 
while  he  is  a  minor,  or  even  an  infant,  involves  all  the 
responsibility  which  we  have  already  considered.  Surely, 
then,  the  converse  of  this  expression  must  hold  true,  and 
illustrate  the  legitimate  or  divinely-revealed  connection 
between  master  and  servant,  as  proceeding  to  a  far  greater 
extent  than  many  imagine.  Surely,  if  the  child  differeth 
nothing  from  a  servant,  the  servant  should  differ  nothing 
from  a  child  in  the  substantial  part  of  care, — the  care  of 
the  soul.  The  care  will  differ  in  degree,  but  assuredly  it 
must  be  the  same  in  kind. 

I  have  thought  that  any  master  or  mistress  may  be  con- 
vinced of  the  nature  and  extent  of  this  connection,  by 
observing  only  the  extent  of  duty  which  they  expect  from 
a  servant.  It  is  true,  that  your  connection  began  with 
little  more  than  a  covenant  for  labor,  in  return  for  wages  ; 
but  if  once  your  servants  come  under  the  roof,  do  you  not 
expect  them  to  be  trust-worthy,  and  blame  them  if  they 
are  not  ?  Do  you  not  expect  them,  or  say,  only  wish 
them,  to  act  without  hypocrisy  and  dissimulation  ?  to 
avoid  sowing  discord,  or  fomenting  jealousy  1  Do  you 
not  expect  them  to  feel  some  interest  in  your  welfare  and 
reputation,  as  well  as  to  care,  in  some  degree,  for  your 
children  1 

If  you  do  not  entertain  any  such  expectations,  then  do 
not  by  any  means  blame  them,  if  they  should  fail  in  all 


DOMESTIC  CONNECTIONS.  53 

these,  and  some  things  else.  But  if  you  do  express  your 
dissatisfaction,  then  be  assured  you  did  expect  all  this  ; 
and  if  you  do,  is  there  nothing  in  correspondence  to  be 
expected  by  the  servant  from  you  ?  Certainly  there  must 
be,  and  the  connection  between  you  and  your  household 
servant  is  not  only  mutual,  but  more  serious  and  exten- 
sive than  you  have  hitherto  supposed. 

Complaints  from  masters  and  mistresses,  in  regard  to 
servants,  I  am  well  aware,  have  been  heard  in  all  ages. 
Some  persons  occasionally  have  said,  that  they  were  the 
plague  of  their  lives,  or  at  least  the  principal  interruption 
of  their  domestic  comfort.  Far  from  exaggeration,  this 
may  be  precisely  true  ;  but  is  there  not  a  cause  ?  Let  us 
for  a  moment  only  observe  the  substance  of  these  com- 
plaints. Do  these  persons  engage  our  ear  with  complaint, 
respecting  their  profanity  or  lewdness,  their  indifference 
to  divine  truth,  or  their  ignorance  of  God  ?  or  are  they 
even  concerned  about  these  evils?  No,  but  they  dwell  at 
large  on  their  idleness  or  falsehood,  their  pilfering,  or  their 
want  of  interest  in  the  family.  Now  these  complaints, 
when  thoroughly  examined,  will  be  found,  in  most  cases, 
to  be  the  most  unjust  and  foolish  in  the  world.  Unjust, 
because  a  previous  and  higher  obligation  is  neglected  by 
them  ;  and  foolish,  because  they  are  vainly  expecting 
obedience  to  their  commands,  without  exacting  any  to 
those  of  God.  They  are  actually  expecting  the  effect 
without  its  cause,  and  that  their  servants  should  be  dutiful 
to  them,  and  attentive  to  their  interests,  though  forgetful 
of  God.  Of  Abraham  it  was  said,  in  his  praise,  that  he 
would  command,  not  his  children  only,  but  his  household 
after  him,  that  they  should  keep  the  way  of  the  Lord,  and 
so  he  secured  his  own  authority  and  interest :  but  not  so 
the  masters  or  mistresses  to  whom  we  have  referred.  See 
then  the  nature  of  this  connection,  for  see  how  Nature 
rises  up  and  seeks  her  revenge.  The  neglect  of  the  souls 
5* 


54  DOMESTIC  CONNECTIONS. 

of  such  servants  is  punished  by  the  sloth  or  dishonesty  of 
these  very  dependants ;  and  thus,  too,  the  Almighty  chas- 
tises righteously,  the  master's  or  mistress's  neglect  of  his 
assistance,  and  contempt  of  his  honor,  by  the  inevitable 
consequences ;  for  so,  it  seems,  it  not  only  is,  but  so  it 
must  be.  Yes,  servants,  though  unwittingly,  will  take  a 
speedy  revenge,  if  their  masters  consider  Christianity  and 
the  fear  of  God  as  forming  no  part  of  the  obligation  be- 
tween themselves  and  their  domestics.  Not  only  will  they 
perplex,  but,  it  may  be,  defraud  those  who  have  deprived 
them,  by  their  neglect  of  family  worship  and  family  in- 
struction, of  the  only  principles  which  can  produce  a 
sense  of  duty.  As  soon  might  they  hope  for  the  labor  of 
these  servants,  without  allowing  them  food  and  wages,  as 
expect  integrity  and  interest  in  their  families,  without 
taking  any  steps  to  implant  or  promote  the  principles  of 
either. 

It  has  been  justly  remarked,  that  "  all  authority  over 
others  is,  in  fact,  a  talent  with  which  we  are  intrusted," 
for  their  benefit  as  well  as  our  own  ;  and  so  the  discharge 
of  our  duty  to  them  is  only,  in  other  words,  securing  our 
own  interest  as  well  as  theirs.  This,  however,  is  espe- 
cially manifest  in  the  case  of  servants  dwelling  under  our 
roof,  as  members  of  the  same  family.  There,  by  how 
much  our  care  over  the  souls  of  our  servants  contributes 
to  their  knowledge  of  God  and  themselves,  so  far  have  we 
secured  their  conscientious  regard  to  our  interests,  and 
furnished  them  with  principles  which  will  not  only  aug- 
ment the  stock  of  domestic  happiness,  but  certainly  con- 
tribute towards  the  divine  favor  resting  on  our  dwelling, 
as  well  as  on  all  that  we  possess.  Thus,  then,  is  the 
fear  of  God,  in  master  and  servant,  found  to  be  at  once 
the  only  foundation  of  relative  duty,  and  the  only  effectual 
security  for  the  discharge  of  it. 

This  connection,  in  short,  once  formed  between  master 


DOMESTIC  CONNECTIONS.  55 

and  servant,  and  reciprocal  duties  implied  in  it,  -the  duty 
and  the  care  of  a  master  is  no  longer  optional,  any  more 
than  a  parent's  duty  to  his  children,  and  his  care  over 
them.  Duty  and  care  are  imposed  upon  us  by  God,  and 
they  rise  out  of  the  very  relation  in  which  we  stand  to  our 
servants. 

SUPERIOR  AND  INFERIOR  SERVANT. — Independently, 
however,  of  the  connection  between  master  and  servant, 
there  is  one  of  no  small  moment  between  the  servants 
themselves,  which  must  not  be  forgotten.  In  a  large 
family,  wherever  there  are  more  than  two  servants,  in- 
stead of  their  forming,  as  with  many,  a  separate  and  sep- 
arated community,  they  should  form,  though  in  some 
sense  a  distinct,  yet  an  intimate  branch  of  but  one  family. 
If  they  do  so,  the  connection  between  the  servants  them- 
selves will  not  be  neglected.  This  is  the  more  necessary, 
from  the  system  of  tyranny,  among  servants  in  a  large 
family,  which  proceeds  occasionally  to  great  excess,  un- 
known to  the  master.  Let  not  such  a  man  feel  surprised, 
if  he  is  informed,  that,  without  the  slightest  occasion  for 
it,  there  dwells  under  the  same  roof  with  himself,  one 
human  being,  perhaps  more,  who  is  degraded  into  a  mere 
fag,  arid  drags  out  a  miserable  existence.  The  blame  is 
his.  Insight  is  incumbent,  arid  access  to  him,  at  certain 
periods,  should  be  open  to  all.  True,  subordination  is 
absolutely  necessary  to  domestic  happiness  :  a  general 
principle  of  deference  from  the  inferior  to  the  superior, 
analogous  to  that  among  children  from  the  younger  to  the 
elder,  must  exist ;  but  to  the  superior  servant  say,  "  So 
live  with  your  inferior,  as  you  would  wish  your  superior 
to  live  with  you."  The  size  of  the  establishment  is  here 
no  apology ;  for  the  task,  far  from  being  insuperable,  is, 
in  the  end,  its  own  reward,  and  brings  along  with  it  many 
gratifications.  The  late  King  of  Great  Britain,  in  his  own 


56  DOMESTIC  CONNECTIONS. 

family,  is  said  to  have  been  most  exemplary  in  this  duty, 
to  the  great  benefit  of  his  domestic  servants.  There  are, 
indeed,  many  men,  and  even  men  of  war,  who  have  ex- 
celled in  it.  They  have  compared  their  army  to  a.  family, 
and,  acting  accordingly,  have  shown  to  us  the  duties  in- 
cumbent on  its  master.  Witness  the  behavior  of  the 
late  Emperor  of  the  French,  when  proceeding  on  his  fatal 
expedition  into  Russia.  Napoleon's  inspections  then 
were  frequent  and  systematic.  "  He  overlooked  not  even 
the  youngest  soldier  ;  it  seemed  as  if  every  thing  which 
concerned  them  was  to  him  a  matter  of  deep  interest.  He 
interrogated  them.  Did  their  captain  take  care  of  them  ? 
Had  they  received  their  pay  1  Were  they  in  want  of  any 
requisite  1  He  wished  to  see  their  knapsack — in  short, 
all  particularities  which  delighted  the  soldier.  They  told 
each  one  how  Napoleon  occupied  himself  with  their 
minutest  details,  and  that  they  composed  his  oldest  and 
real  family.  If  he  happened  to  meet  with  convoys  of 
wounded,  he  stopped  them,  informed  himself  of  their  con- 
dition, of  their  sufferings,  of  the  action  in  which  they  had 
been  connected,  and  never  quitted  them  without  consoling 
them  by  his  words,  or  making  them  partakers  of  his 
bounty.  On  his  guard,  he  bestowed  particular  attention : 
he  himself  daily  reviewing  some  part  of  them,  lavishing 
commendation,  and  sometimes  blame  ;  but  the  latter  sel- 
dom fell  on  any  but  the  administrators"* 

What  an  example!  yet  what  a  melancholy  misapplica- 
tion of  talents !  And  the  crowning  misery  is,  "  The 
paths  of  glory  lead  but  to  the  grave."  But  let  the  master 
of  a  family  proceed  on  similar  principles;  instead  of 
leading  those  under  him  to  ruin,  both  children  and  ser- 
vants may,  by  him,  as  an  instrument,  not  only  be  prepared 
for  enjoying  this  life,  but  be  conducted  to  immortality. 

*  Segur. 


DOMESTIC  CONNECTIONS.  57 

SERVANTS  AND  CHILDREN. — By  many  parents  this  is  a 
connection  which  they  most  of  all  overlook  :  it  is  indeed 
one  to  which  many  have  scarcely  ever  adverted;  whilst 
others,  from  a  haughty  and  childish,  not  to  say  mean  regard 
to  the  distinctions  of  rank,  will  not  condescend  to  study 
it.  Provided  that  the  children  are  kept  clean  and  neat ; 
if  the  servants  also  speak  kindly  to  them  in  their  parents' 
presence,  and  seem  to  entertain  some  degree  of  affection 
for  them,  nothing  more  is  thought  of.  But  of  what  prin- 
ciples are  these  servants?  Have  you  calculated  how  they 
will  or  may  act  when  out  of  your  sight?  Is  it  not 
worthy  of  some  reflection,  for  what  end  persons  of  an 
inferior  station  in  society  should  have  been  brought  home 
to  dwell,  of  necessity,  in  such  close  contact  with  your 
children?  You  well  know,  that,  through  a  very  slight 
failure  in  only  one  point  of  administration  or  government, 
mischief  may  be  generated,  which  another  day  will  sap 
the  foundations  of  the  whole  fabric.  So  it  certainly  may 
be  with  a  family  :  while  the  master  is  going  on  from  day 
to  day,  during  the  infancy  of  his  children,  heedlessly 
saying,  that  "  business  must  be  attended  to,"  or,  "  I 
cannot  attend  to  every  little  thing."  But  surely  the  con- 
nection between  servant  and  child  can  be  of  no  inferior 
importance,  when  consequences  so  fatal  to  your  future 
peace  and  your  children's  benefit  are  involved  in  it.  By 
the  unprincipled  language,  the  deceitful  or  improper  con- 
duct of  only  a  single  servant,  has  an  immoral  pestilence 
or  plague  been  introduced  into  many  a  family ;  the  effects 
of  which  have  continued  to  molest  long  after  the  servant 
was  gone,  or  perhaps  dead.  And  where  is  the  safeguard 
against  such  an  evil  to  be  found,  if  it  is  not  in  the 
principles  of  parents ;  in  their  conscientious  proceedings 
when  choosing  servants  in  the  first  instance,  and  their 
superintendence  afterwards  ?  Think  not,  parents,  of  the 
kitchen,  the  laundry,  the  parlor,  the  table,  or  the  manner 


58  DOMESTIC  CONNECTIONS. 

only,  in  all  cases — think  of  the  children  too;  and  re- 
member, that,  with  these  servants,  or  at  least  some  of 
them,  your  children  must  of  necessity  come  frequently  in 
contact. 

There  was  one  man  of  whom  you  have  heard,  who, 
though  a  King  upon  the  throne,  thought  not  such  a  sub- 
ject below  his  notice.  "  Mine  eyes,"  said  he,  "  shall  be 
upon  the  faithful  of  the  land,  that  they  may  dwell  with 
me.  He  that  walketh  in  a  perfect  way,  he  shall  serve 
me:  he  that  worketh  deceit  shall  not  dwell  within  my 
house:  he  that  telleth  lies  shall  not  tarry  in  my  sight." 
Were  the  heads  of  families  to  act  on  similar  principles, 
not  only  would  they  secure  the  blessing  of  God  on  their 
family,  but  prevent  much  evil  in  the  church  of  God. 
This  high  end,  among  others,  David  had  in  view;  for 
this  was,  in  fact,  one  branch  of  his  instrumentality,  when 
resolving  to  cut  off  "all  wicked  doers  from  the  city  of  the 
Lord."  So,  in  modern  times,  the  character  and  conduct 
of  unprincipled  servants  being  so  treated,  would  effectu- 
ally prevent  their  being  received  into  church-fellowship, 
or  would  prove  the  happy  key  to  their  being  expelled 
from  it. 

To  return,  however,  to  the  nursery,  or  rather  the 
domestic  roof— observe  only,  that  these  servants  are,  in 
truth,  the  first  individuals,  taken  from  the  great  body  of 
civil  society,  with  whom  your  children  are  one  day  to 
mingle  and  converse,  and  their  connection  with  them  is 
the  first  link  of  their  connection  with  it.  At  this  safe  and 
early  period,  under  your  own  eye,  and  in  miniature,  you 
have  an  opportunity  of  ascertaining  how  they  are  likely  to 
conduct  themselves  in  the  wide  world  afterwards.  Here, 
if  your  servants  are  persons  of  character,  is  the  first  little 
enclosure  which  will  afford  you  a  marked  display  either 
of  the  amiable  or  corrupt  dispositions  of  your  children. 
Now,  for  what  end,  need  I  ask,  are  these  two  parties  thus 


DOMESTIC  CONNECTIONS.  59 

brought  into  contact,  so  far  as  the  children  are  concerned? 
Can  it  be  for  no  valuable  end  to  them  and  yourself?  or  is 
it  providential  ?  Certainly  it  is.  It  is  for  you  to  instruct 
them  how  to  behave,  and  how  to  feel  towards  these  in- 
dividuals :  for  so  important  is  the  connection  formed 
between  them  and  your  servant,  that  either  a  proud  or 
tyrannical,  a  benevolent  or  gentle  spirit,  will  be  formed, 
by  means  of  the  conduct  which  they  are  taught  to  observe 
towards  those  with  whom,  in  their  earliest  years,  they  thus 
so  far  associate.  These  individuals,  chosen  by  yourself, 
out  of  the  great  family  of  mankind,  have  been  providen- 
tially brought  home  to  your  own  fireside,,  to  answer, 
through  domestic  economy,  the  most  valuable  of  purposes 
another  day. 

Such  are  the  various  connections  of  this  all-important 
constitution  ;  and  what  is  this  but  the  world  in  miniature, 
or  rather  in  the  bud  and  blossom  of  its  being  ?  Here  it 
is  that  every  connection  of  future  life  is  presented  before 
us :  here  every  future  affection  of  the  heart,  and  every 
future  form  of  duty,  are  called  to  their  earliest  efforts ; 
and  these,  confessedly,  are  the  most  important.  Here,  in 
their  first  elementary  school,  provided  by  infinite  wisdom, 
are  the  actors  in  all  the  future  affairs  of  life,  whether  great 
or  small,  who  will  fill  the  world  with  blessings,  or  with 
mischief,  when  our  heads  lie  low  in  the  dust. 


SECTION  FOURTH. 

THE  PENALTY  OR  PUNISHMENT  OP  DISOBEDI- 
ENCE OR  NEGLECT,  DESCENDING  TO  POSTER- 
ITY. 

The  domestic  Constitution  framed  for  this  life;  in  this  life  the 
punishment  is  inflicted — Visitation  of  the  Fathers  on  the  Children 
explained  and  illustrated  by  Examples — This  Visitation  inevi- 
table— displaying  superlative  moral  beauty,  and,  however  serious 
in  its  consequences,  yet  involving  mercy  to  mankind. 

FOR  the  understanding  of  this  subject,  it  may  be  ne- 
cessary to  remember,  that  the  constitution  of  families 
being  formed  in  this  world,  in  this  world  they  are  also 
broken  up ;  yet  so  compactly  built  are  they,  or  so  "  fitly 
framed  together,"  that,  in  the  divine  administration,  as 
such,  they  are  considered  in  most  respects  as  we  consider 
persons.  That  which  is  done  by  them  at  one  period  is 
visited  upon  them  at  another ;  and  as  Adam  was  visited 
in  "  the  cool  of  the  evening"  for  what  he  had  done  in  the 
heat  of  the  day,  so  it  is  here.  Men  may  object  to  this, 
though,  when  all  is  known,  the  course  is  unobjectionable ; 
but  though  we  had  not  been  able  to  explain  it  satisfac- 
torily to  every  humane  and  upright  mind,  still  such 
appears  to  be  the  divine  law  in  every  age.  When  Israel 
was  in  Babylon,  this  part  of  the  divine  procedure  was 
strongly  resented:  "The  fathers,"  said  they,  "have 


THE  PENALTY  DESCENDING.  Ql 

eaten  sour  grapes,  and  the  children's  teeth  are  set  on 
edge."  The  punishment  of  the  sins  of  the  nation,  from 
the  days  of  Manasseh,  had  fallen  on  that  generation,  and 
to  this  they  objected ;  but  when  the  Almighty  changed 
his  voice,  as  about  to  change  the  line  of  operation,  they 
might  soon  see  how  much  of  mercy  to  them  there  had 
been,  in  all  this,  instead  of  injustice.  "  As  I  live,  saith 
Jehovah,  ye  shall  not  have  occasion  any  more  to  use  this 
proverb  in  Israel,  Behold  all  souls  are  mine  :  as  the  soul 
of  the  father,  so  also  the  soul  of  the  son  is  mine  ;  the  soul 
that  sinneth,  it  shall  die!"  As  though  he  had  said, — 
"  Now  I  will  no  more  forbear  with  you  as  I  have  done, 
but  will  punish  both  father  and  son,  without  any  delay. 
Every  man  shall  now  die  for  his  own  iniquity ;  the  father 
shall  not  die  for  the  iniquity  of  the  son,  nor  the  son  for 
the  iniquity  of  the  father.  This  mode  of  treatment,  in- 
tended for  the  humbling,  and  correction,  and  conversion 
of  both  parties  to  myself,  shall  have  an  end;  and  the  soul 
that  sinneth,  it  shall  die,  and  die  without  delay." 

Here  tthe  Almighty,  absolutely  in  the  way  of  judgment, 
suspends  the  operation  of  his  own  law, — a  proof  that  its 
sanction,  in  his  hands,  far  from  being  chargeable  with 
undue  severity,  was  fraught  with  mercy  to  the  community 
as  such  ;  for,  in  regard  to  all  that  has  been  already  ad- 
vanced, as  well  as  what,  follows,  it  must  be  distinctly  kept 
in  view,  that  this  is  a  mode  of  punishment,  or  method  of 
procedure,  which  he  does  not,  nor  ever  did  remit  to  any 
human  tribunal.  "  I,  THE  LORD  THY  GOD,  am  a  jealous 
God,  VISITING  the  iniquities  of  the  fathers  upon  the  chil- 
dren, unto  the  third  and  fourth  generation  of  them  that 
hate  ME."  The  longest  period  of  human  existence  to 
which  the  disobedient  or  negligent  father  could  look 
forward,  was  the  fourth  generation,  and  so  long  would 
the  eye  of  divine  jealousy  rest  upon  him !  Thus  the 
Almighty  appropriating  to  himself  the  execution  of  his  own 
6 


62  THE  PENALTY  DESCENDING. 

law,  even  the  Jewish  legislator  or  king  well  knew  where 
to  stop,  and  was  cautious  of  encroaching  on  the  prerogative 
of  God.  "  Amaziah,  king  of  Judah,  as  soon  as  the  king- 
dom was  confirmed  in  his  hand,  slew  his  servants,  who 
had  slain  the  king  his  father.  But  the  children  of  the 
murderers  he  slew  not;  according  to  that  which  was 
written  in  the  book  of  the  law  of  Moses,  wherein  the  Lord 
commanded,  saying,  the  fathers  shall  not  be  put  to  death 
for  the  children,  nor  the  children  put  to  death  for  the 
fathers,  but  every  man  shall  be  put  to  death  for  his  own 
sin." 

The  subject  before  us,  however,  has  been  involved  in 
considerable  obscurity,  owing  to  the  precise  term  employ- 
ed by  Jehovah,  as  expressive  of  his  displeasure,  not 
having  been  carefully  observed.  What  he  threatens  is 
"  visitation."  This  is  not  to  be  confounded  with  the 
term  death ;  much  less  is  it  to  be  confined  to  this,  though 
it  often  involves  it.  In  His  visitation  of  parental  delin- 
quency, he  draws  upon  an  armory  which  is  all  his  own  ; 
or,  to  change  the  figure^  there  is  with  him  a  graduated 
scale  of  punishment,  framed  with  minute  and  awful  cor- 
respondence to  the  sin  of  the  offending  parent.  Hence  it 
is  that  disobedience,  or  even  neglect  of  duty,  is  another 
day  visited  and  displayed,  not  by  the  decease  only,  but  by 
the  ignorance  or  immorality,  the  extravagance  or  parsi- 
mony, the  dispositions  or  habits  of  his  offspring ;  and  as  it 
so  happens  that  parents  in  general  feel  most  acutely  the 
manifestation  of  their  own  failings  in  the  persons  of  their 
children,  and  as  they  find  living  trials  to  be  the  most 
severe,  this  unalterable  determination  of  Heaven  proves, 
in  its  infallible  result,  to  be  a  visitation  indeed  ! 

The  visitation  threatened,  therefore,  though  involving 
tokens  of  divine  displeasure,  is  to  be  understood  in  its 
commencement  at  least,  not  so  much  with  reference  to 
the  state  after  death,  as  the  life  which  precedes  it.  At 


*7 

fJcI  T  63 


THE  PENALTY 

the  head  of  a  family,  interested 
advantages  of  the  present  scene,  the  parent  is  warned  lest 
he  draw  down  the  displeasure  of  God,  and  entail  a  heavy 
load  on  those  who  are  most  dear  to  him.  But  still,  if  it  is 
true,  that,  just  as  the  twig  is  bent  the  tree  is  inclined, 
and  that  as  men  live,  so  in  general  they  die,  as  powerful 
instrumental  causes,  parents  are  here  forewarned,  that  if 
they  lead  not  their  posterity  so  far  on  towards  the  heav- 
enly Canaan,  they  may  sink  them  lower  than  the  grave. 
In  short,  the  heart  of  a  family  may  be  said  to  reside  in 
the  breast  of  the  parent,  and  to  this,  therefore,  the  arrow 
of  divine  jealousy  is  pointed.  The  responsibility  of  pa- 
rents may  thus,  no  doubt,  appear  to  be  fearfully  great  ; 
but  still  it  is,  as  it  seems  :  and  if  the  nature  of  the  human 
mind  forbids  it  to  be  more,  the  peculiar  genius  of  the 
domestic  constitution  forbids  it  to  be  less. 

With  these  observations  we  are  prepared  still  farther  to 
illustrate  the  melancholy  and  solemn,  but  profitable  sub- 
ject of  the  curse  descending. 

When  God  inflicts  the  temporal  evil  on  a  son  for  his 
father's  sin,  to  the  father  he  acts  as  a  Judge,  but  to  the 
son  as  a  Lord  or  Sovereign.  With  the  parent  he  is 
angry,  and  especially  punishes  him,  even  in  his  posterity; 
his  crime  being  such  an  inevitable  consequence  of  disre- 
gard to  a  constitution  of  things,  at  the  head  of  which  the 
Almighty  placed  him,  that  without  a  perpetual  miracle, 
such  consequences  must  ensue.  The  eye  of  his  jealousy 
is  fixed  on  the  parent,  and  follows  him  night  and  day,  and 
he  it  is  who  is  made  responsible  for  all  that  occurs  under 
his  administration.  To  the  son  the  Almighty  acts  as  a 
lord.  He  will  to  him  do  right,  and  before  long,  or  in  the 
end,  mysteriously  show,  how,  though  the  visitation  should 
fall  upon  even  the  third  or  fourth  generation,  it  has  been 
all  along  a  punishment  chiefly,  and  in  many  cases  solely, 
to  the  original  offender. 


64  THE  PENALTY  DESCENDING. 

This  may  seem  at  first  strange,  but  it  is  not  less  true, 
and  it  is  capable  of  the  most  satisfactory  explanation.  In 
many  instances,  perhaps  in  the  great  majority,  the  awful 
mode  of  procedure  here  threatened,  is  to  the  child  ulti- 
mately a  blessing ;  to  the  parents  only  an  immediate 
curse ;  and  to  them  only,  or  chiefly,  an  evidence  of  the 
divine  displeasure  against  sin.  With  children  who  die  in 
infancy  this  may  be  the  case.  Here  it  is  indeed  that  the 
survivor  dies.  With  the  children  it  is  well.  Alas!  it 
is  truly  "  for  us  they  sicken,  and  for  us  they  die."  But 
this  same  thing  may  happen  when  the  child  has  arrived 
even  at  manhood.  So  it  happened  with  one  of  the  most 
amiable  of  characters  mentioned  in  Scripture — the  son  of 
the  first  Jewish  king.  To  Saul  his  death  was  an  awful 
evidence  of  God's  displeasure,  and  of  his  rejection  of  him 
as  king;  but  to  Jonathan  it  was  a  blessing,  since  it 
ended  an  honorable,  and  consistent,  and  prevented  an 
inglorious  life.  Had  he  lived  he  must  have  proved  chiefly 
a  lasting  testimony  of  the  divine  displeasure  on  his  father, 
whose  family  had  lost  the  crown,  because  of  his  repeated 
acts  of  disobedience  to  God.  If  the  brothers  of  Jonathan, 
who  also  died  that  same  day,  were  bad  men,  each  of  them 
died  also  for  his  own  iniquity ;  but  all  combined  to  point 
out  Saul  as  the  procuring  cause.  They  all  died  before 
him  ;  he  knew  it  all,  and  walked  several  miles  distant 
from  the  field  of  battle,  before  he  fell  on  his  sword ! 

Yes,  relative  characters  are,  of  all  others,  the  most  seri- 
ous, since  they  are  most  pregnant  either  with  good  or  evil 
to  him  who  sustains  them.  Saul  was  a  king,  as  well  as  a 
parent ;  and  the  divine  jealousy  of  which  he  had  been  so 
often  warned,  was  not  exhausted  on  the  mountains  of 
Gilboa.  Five  hundred  years  before  Saul  lived,  to  the 
Gibeonites,  who  had  craftily  secured  their  lives,  by  ex- 
changing them  for  their  liberty,  Joshua  had  given  his 
oath,  and  thus  made  Jehovah,  on  Israel's  part,  their 


THE  PENALTY  DESCENDING.  55 

surety ;  but  Saul,  in  the  heat  of  his  false  zeal  and  par- 
tiality to  the  men  of  Israel  and  Judah,  slew  many  of  them. 
Saul  is  gone ;  but  in  David's  time  famine  begins,  and  for 
three  years  in  succession,  rages  over  his  whole  kingdom. 
Upon  his  making  humble  inquiry  as  to  the  cause,  God 
replied :  "  It  is  for  Saul,  and  his  bloody  house,  because 
he  slew  the  Gibeonites."  What  is  to  be  done  ?  To  the 
Gibeonites  an  appeal  must  be  made.  Not  less  than  seven 
sons  of  this  heedless  man  are  now  sought  for,  and  found, 
and  hung  up  in  open  day,  at  Gibeah,  before  the  sun,  when 
it  was  said,  "  God  was  entreated  for  the  land."  What  a 
monitory  lesson  to  the  reigning  king !  There  can  be  no 
doubt,  that  each  of  these  men  had  deserved  to  die  for  his 
own  iniquity ;  but  the  Revealer  of  secrets,  explaining  his 
own  revealed  plan,  directly  traces  the  lightning  of  his 
vengeance  home  to  the  cloud  which  burst  on  the  moun- 
tains of  Gilboa  ;  for  it  had  not  then,  it  seems,  discharged 
all  its  thunder.  David,  however,  was  familiar  with  judg- 
ment and  mercy  in  union,  and  sung  of  both;  and,  as  a 
contrast,  it  is  most  consoling,  even  in  this  case,  to  observe 
the  blessing  descend  as  well  as  the  curse.  For  Jonathan's 
sake,  Mephibosheth,  his  descendant,  is  spared ;  and  not 
only  so,  but  is  made  to  sit  at  table  daily  as  one  of  the 
king's  sons  ! 

It  is  not,  however,  by  undue  severity,  or  positive  wick- 
edness only,  that  parents  incur  the  frown  of  God.  Over- 
indulgence, or  criminal  easiness  of  temper  in  David  him- 
self, was  most  effectually  punished  by  the  rebellion  and 
death  of  Absalom ;  and  in  old  Eli,  by  the  loss  of  both  his 
sons,  as  well  as  the  ruin  of  his  family,  in  one  day  ! 

Such  being  the  actual  procedure  of  the  Almighty,  does 
it  not  now  appear,  that  the  terms  in  which  his  law  is  ex- 
pressed, are  to  be  considered  as  just  so  much  light  thrown 
upon  the  path  of  duty,  and  the  constitution  of  every  family 
to  whom  they  are  delivered  ;  for  to  whom  are  these  solemn 
6* 


66  THE  PENALTY  DESCENDING. 

words  addressed  especially,  if  not  to  parents  1  Law,  how- 
ever, he  well  knows,  if  separated  from  its  sanction,  re- 
sembles only  solemn  advice,  and,  to  the  corrupted  or 
heedless  ear  of  man,  partakes  of  little  inducement.  The 
influence  of  law  on  our  character  and  conduct,  is,  there- 
fore, derived  chiefly  from  the  sanction  by  which  it  is 
enforced  ;  and  the  sanctions  of  the  divine  law,  in  partic- 
ular, address  the  conscience  of  man,  through  the  medium 
of  faith.  Should  they  once  be  thus  regarded,  they  are 
found  to  consist,  "  not  of  arbitrary  enactments,  but  of 
consequences  inevitably  resulting,  in  the  nature  of  things, 
from  wilful  opposition  to  the  perfections  of  God,  and  the 
moral  order  of  the  universe.* 

The  solemn  and  affecting  visitation  here  threatened  is 
therefore  to  be  regarded  as  a  warning  voice  from  the  Lord 
of  the  Universe.  Here  he  informs  us,  beforehand,  of 
what  must  inevitably  result  from  disobedience  or  even 
neglect ;  and  if  any  farther  proof  of  this  is  wanting,  I 
might  address  myself  even  to  the  eye  as  well  as  the  ear. 
Look  all  around  you.  Daily  you  behold  natural  defects 
and  deformity  inherited  from  parents;  you  see  hereditary 
diseases  running  down  by  the  chain  of  successive  genera- 
tions. Such  things  are  generally  said  to  be  inevitable, 
and  such,  it  is  said,  is  the  course  of  nature.  To  interfere 
and  prevent  this,  would  not  only  involve  what  has  been, 
strangely  enough,  called  a  perpetual  miracle  :  it  would  be 
for  the  Creator  to  counterwork  the  natural  actions  of  his 
creatures,  and  to  disturb  every  moment  the  harmony  of 
the  universe.  How,  then,  can  we  imagine  that  he  will — 
nay,  that,  consistently  with  his  jealousy  and  this  warning, 
he  can  interfere  to  counterwork  moral  defects  ? 

The  solemn  sanction  which  we  now  consider  has  been 
considered  chiefly  as  inevitable ;  but  in  every  thing, 

*  Conder, 


THE  PENALTY  DESCENDING.  67 

which  by  the  determination  of  God  is  inevitable;  in  every 
thing  which,  in  consequence  of  this,  is  not  to  be  escaped 
by  all  the  ingenuity  or  the  craftiness  of  man,  there  is  to 
be  seen  superlative  moral  beauty  :  and  if  the  same  thing 
is  admired  under  human  administration,  in  the  divine 
government  it  demands  far  higher  regard  and  veneration. 
In  every  earthly  government  it  is  always  regarded  as  an 
evidence  of  good  and  comely  order,  as  well  as  equity,  that 
children  should  inherit  the  poverty  and  rags  of  those 
parents  who  were  confessedly  not  only  poor  but  profligate, 
or  who  had  squandered,  or  forfeited  by  their  crimes,  all 
they  had.  But  the  violation  of  this  first  and  second  com- 
mandment amounts  to  nothing  short  of  treason  under  the 
divine  government:  now,  under  an  earthly  government, 
the  traitor  is  himself  condemned  to  death  ;  his  property 
forfeited  to  the  crown ;  his  escutcheon  is  reversed ;  his 
arms  of  honor  extinguished  ;  and  the  nobility  of  his  family 
is  lost  and  forgotten.  Such  are  some  of  the  melancholy 
consequences  of  what  has  been  styled— the  taint  of  blood. 
Even  among  heathen  nations  such  a  connection  between 
a  parent  and  his  children  has  been  well  understood  and 
approved  :  "  When  the  Athenians  saw  honor  done  to  the 
posterity  of  Cimon,  a  good  citizen,  who  had  been  mur- 
dered for  his  wisdom  and  virtue,  they  were  highly  pleased  ; 
when,  at  the  same  time,  they  saw  a  decree  of  banishment 
pass  against  the  children  of  Lacharis  and  Aristo,  they  laid 
their  hands  upon  their  mouths,  and  with  silence  did 
admire  the  justice  of  the  Power  above." 

To  proceed  only  one  step  farther  :  in  every  thing  divine, 
where  moral  beauty  is  conspicuous,  mercy  is  apparent ;  so 
it  is  here  especially,  even  in  the  solemn  sanction  of  the 
second  commandment.  Language  which,  at  first  reading, 
to  a  superficial  observer,  might  seem  fraught  with  evil 
only,  will  be  found,  in  the  event  of  our  taking  warning, 
only  big  with  blessing, — with  blessing  not  only  to  our- 


68  THE  PENALTY  DESCENDING. 

selves,  but  to  generations  yet  unborn.  Well  does  our 
merciful  Creator  know,  that  neglects  arising  from  incon- 
sideration,  or  want  of  forethought,  are  often  attended  with 
consequences  just  as  serious  and  fatal  as  those  which 
follow  the  greatest  crimes.  To  counteract  these  sins  of 
neglect,  there  must  be  some  general  law,  and  God,  in 
great  mercy  to  man,  thus  reveals  it,  as  one  admirably 
adapted  for  this  end.  In  man  there  is  a  certain  fearless- 
ness or  indifference  with  regard  to  what  may  be  hereafter, 
or  after  him,  in  the  moral  government  of  God.  It  be- 
comes necessary,  therefore,  that  the  Author  of  his  being 
should  lay  hold  of  him  in  the  most  vulnerable  and  tender 
part ;  thus  securing  for  himself  that  respect  and  venera- 
tion which  is  at  once  our  interest  and  duty,  and  his  right. 
By  making  his  examples  thus  lasting  and  communicative, 
and  of  great  effect,  he  arrests  the  spirits  of  men,  and 
secures  for  himself  the  great  object  for  which  he  once 
wrote  these  words  on  the  top  of  Mount  Sinai : — "  For  the 
tables  were  the  work  of  God,  and  the  writing  was  the 
writing  of  God,  graven  on  the  tables." 

Such  being  the  law  and  solemn  determination  of  the 
Most  High,  you  need  not  be  surprised  when  you  see  the 
displeasure  of  God  first  hover  for  a  season  over  the  habi- 
tation of  the  ungodly,  then  enter  in  and  abide  there,  till 
He  hath  destroyed  the  wealth  and  the  honor,  the  comfort 
and  the  credit  of  the  whole  family.  Such  being  his  law, 
you  will  not  long  wonder  at  the  roll  which  the  prophet 
Zechariah  saw  flying  in  the  air,  over  the  land  of  Judea : 
nor  can  you  object  to  the  answer  which  was  given  him, 
when  asked,  "  What  seest  thou?  Then  said  he  unto  me, 
This  is  the  curse  that  goeth  forth  over  the  whole  earth ; 
for  every  one  that  stealeth  shall  be  cut  off  on  this  side, 
according  to  it ;  and  every  one  that  sweareth  shall  be  cut 
off  on  that  side,  according  to  it.  I  will  bring  it  forth, 
saith  the  Lord  of  Hosts,  and  it  shall  enter  into  the  house 


THE  PENALTY  DESCENDING.  69 

of  the  thief,  and  into  the  house  of  him  that  sweareth 
falsely  by  my  name ;  and  it  shall  remain  in  the  midst  of 
his  house,  and  shall  consume  it,  with  the  timber  thereof, 
and  the  stones  thereof."  Did  not  this  entire  consumption 
of  the  house  indicate  that  the  divine  displeasure  rested  on 
the  family  of  the  sinful  parent  ?  while  the  dishonest  and 
the  profane  are  selected  as  fit  and  awful  representatives 
of  the  violators  of  both  tables  of  the  law. 

What !  it  will  be  said  by  some  who  do  not  yet  fully 
understand  the  subject,  is  there  no  way  of  escape — no  way 
by  which  the  entail  of  the  curse  may  be  cut  off?  Even 
natural  evil,  or  natural  and  hereditary  disease,  may  be  so 
far  ameliorated,  and  often  eradicated  or  prevented,  by 
the  regimen  or  temperance  of  any  one  link  in  the  chain 
of  generations.  Precisely  so ;  and  here  also  is  revealed 
to  us  the  moral  check  to  moral  disorder  or  deformity :  it 
is  simply  by  a  recurrence  to  this  very  statute.  So  said 
the  Psalmist  long  after  Moses, — "  He  established  a  tes- 
timony* in  Jacob,  and  appointed  a  law  in  Israel,  which  he 
commanded  our  fathers,  that  they  should  make  them 
known  to  their  children ;  that  the  generation  to  come 
might  know,  even  the  children  which  should  be  born, 
who  should  arise  and  declare  them  to  their  children  :  that 
they  might  set  their  hope  in  God,  and  not  forget  the 
works  of  God,  but  keep  his  commandments;  and  might 
not  be  as  their  fathers,  a  stubborn  and  rebellious  genera- 
tion ;  a  generation  that  set  not  their  hearts  aright,  and 
whose  spirit  was  not  steadfast  with  God." 

Suppose  now,  if  you  will,  that  parents  have  even  gen- 
erally neglected  their  duty  in  a  town — in  a  city — in  a 

*  Such  was  the  title  given  to  the  moral  law  (Exod.  xxv.  16.),  as 
to  be  deposited  in  the  Ark,  which  was  covered  by  the  mercy-seat. 
There  securely  kept,  it  testified  at  once  God's  authority  and  his 
regard ;  that  though  merciful,  he  required  obedience ;  while  in  case 
of  failure  or  neglect,  it  testified  against  every  transgressor. 


70  THE  PENALTY  DESCENDING. 

nation, — then  to  this  statute,  taken  from  the  moral  law 
itself,  must  we  have  immediate  recourse,  if  we  desire  to 
arrest  the  plague,  and  restore  the  tone  of  society.  It  is 
for  the  legate  of  the  skies,  and  for  every  judicious  Chris- 
tian, to  lay  the  axe  to  the  root  of  the  tree.  It  is  for  them 
to  look  to  the  Parents,  all  corrupt  and  abandoned  though 
they  be.  Their  hearts  must  be  turned,  and  then  will 
these  hearts  turn  to  their  children.  Not  that  the  children 
are  to  be  forgotten  by  such ;  oh,  no — in  no  wise ;  but  let 
the  parents,  as  to  conversion,  be  regarded,  not  with  a 
hopeless  or  unbelieving  eye, — let  them  be  primarily  re- 
garded. Let  us  not  be  told  of  their  corrupt,  and  formed, 
and  confirmed  habits,  and  let  no  Christian's  heart  fail 
him  here.  We  tread  in  the  footsteps  of  the  word  of  God, 
and  follow  the  order  marked  out  to  us  by  Heaven.  "  He 
shall," — yes,  and  John  did  "  turn  the  heart  of  the  parents 
to  the  children,  and  the  heart  of  the  children  to  their 
parents."  He  did,  and  we  may ;  nay,  we  shall,  if  we 
have  faith  in  God,  when  treading  in  the  footsteps  of  John : 
otherwise  what  has  become  of  our  blessed  Saviour's 
assurance — "  He  that  is  least  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven 
is  greater  than  he?" 


SECTION  FIFTH. 

THE     BLESSING     CONNECTED     WITH     OBEDIENCE, 
DESCENDING     TO     POSTERITY. 

Though  this  Blessing,  revealed  in  Scripture,  and  confirmed  by  ex- 
perience, seems  acceptable  to  the  human  heart,  no  man  believes 
in  it,  who  disregards  or  rejects  the  punishment  in  contrast. — The 
descending  Blessing  illustrated  by  example. 

To  prove  that  this  moral  connection  between  a  parent 
and  his  family  is  of  God's  own  institution,  it  seems  now 
only  necessary  to  notice  the  blessing  which  he  has 
graciously  connected  with  our  regard  to  it.  To  the 
blessing  descending,  men  in  general  profess  to  feel  no 
objection ;  and  the  language  in  which  it  is  expressed  is 
indeed  peculiarly  affecting  :  "  I,  the  Lord  thy  God — am 
shewing  mercy  to  thousands,"  or  a  thousand  generations 
"  of  them  that  love  me,  and  (as  the  proof  of  their  love) 
keep  my  commandments."  It  is,  however,  very  ques- 
tionable whether  there  is  not  as  little  faith  in  the  blessing 
descending,  as  the  curse ;  and  it  deserves  consideration, 
that  he  only  believes  in  one,  who  believes  in  both ;  since, 
in  producing  conformity  to  the  law,  faith  in  both  is  ab- 
solutely requisite.  The  curse  secures  attention  and 
consideration,  caution  and  forethought ;  the  blessing 
produces  pleasure  and  hope,  perseverance  and  success : 
the  threatening  is  intended  to  maintain  the  fear  of  God, 


72  THE  BLESSING  DESCENDING. 

and  to  prevent  the  entrance  of  the  fear  of  man,  or  undue 
regard  to  him  in  the  management  of  one's  family  ;  while 
the  promise  is  meant  to  teach  parents,  that  if  they  really 
desire  to  have  the  blessing  of  God  entailed  on  their 
posterity,  they  must  labor  chiefly  to  implant  piety.  Oh, 
blessed  indeed  is  that  Parent  who  herein  fears  God,  and 
herein  hopes  in  his  mercy ! 

Under  this  head,  however,  we  require  carefully  to 
observe,  that  death,  in  itself  considered,  is  by  no  means 
to  be  regarded  as  an  unequivocal  mark  of  the  divine  dis- 
pleasure. Death,  indeed,  in  all  instances,  must  ever 
prove  a  trial,  and  it  is  sent  as  such ;  but  it  does  not,  it 
even  cannot  interrupt  the  descent  of  this  blessing.  Nay, 
however  strange  it  may  seem,  death,  which  generally 
breaks  the  chain  of  connection  between  most  sublunary 
things,  when  God  becomes  his  own  interpreter,  may 
prove  to  be  a  link  in  the  chain  of  the  Christian  parent's 
blessings.  "  All  things,"  sin  only  excepted,  "  work  to- 
gether for  good;"  or,  as  Tyndal  says,  "for  the  best,  to 
them  that  love  God, — to  them  who  are  the  called  accord- 
ing to  his  purpose."  But,  in  such  a  case,  is  this  possible? 
says  the  confounded,  or  distressed  and  bereaved  Christian 
parent.  I  reply,  it  is  not  merely  possible  :  it  is  certain  ; 
because  "  all  things  are  yours."  Death  is  yours — even 
death,  is,  by  a  peculiar  right,  and  by  an  emphasis  of  in- 
terest, yours  :  nay,  "  whether  life  or  death,  things  present 
or  things  to  come  :  all  things  are  yours ;  for  ye  are 
Christ's,  and  Christ  is  God's."  Thus  it  is,  that  though 
such  bereavements  produce  an  anguish  which  painful 
experience  alone  can  explain,  the  Christian  comes  to 
understand  that  there  is  in  the  house  of  God  "  a  place  and 
a  name,  better  than  of  sons  and  of  daughters."  Besides 
even  cases,  which,  to  the  careless  eye,  may  seem  like 
judgment,  and  like  nothing  else,  under  the  emollient 
hand  of  time,  admit  of  an  explanation,  and,  to  the 


THE  BLESSING  DESCENDING.  73 

afflicted  party,   of  an   experience  which  has  not  unfre- 
quently  constrained  them  to  say  with  Milton : 

This  is  my  favor'd  lot, 
My  exaltation  to  afflictions  high  ; 
Afflicted  I  may  be,  it  seems,  and  blest; 
I  will  not  argue  that,  nor  will  repine. 

These  remarks  I  have  here  preferred,  as  I  am  fully 
aware  of  at  least  one  instance,  recorded  prominently  in 
the  sacred  page,  which  may  seem  to  militate  against  the 
general  doctrine  of  conscientious  training  being  followed 
with  its  reward  in  this  life.  This  instance,  however, 
constitutes  a  link  in  by  far  the  most  mysterious  chain  of 
providential  dealing  towards  a  human  being  of  which  we 
read.  Still,  let  it  be  laid  before  us,  with  all  its  distress- 
ing accompaniments.  It  may  turn  out  to  be  confirmatory 
of  the  blessing  of  Qod,  resting  on  a  conscientious  and 
consistent  parent,  and  of  that  blessing  descending  to  his 
posterity.  I  refer  to  Job,  and  the  loss  of  his  ten  children 
in  one  day  ! 

"The  loss  of  one  child  has  often  been  more  than  an 
affectionate  parent  could  support  with  decent  resignation ; 
but  for  a  whole  family,  educated  with  pious  care,  and  for 
years  insinuating  into  their  father's  affections ;  who  were 
all  grown  up;  living  in  harmony  and  in  affluence,  in 
health  and  credit ;  who  were  likely  to  perpetuate  his 
name  and  prosperity ;" — for  such  a  family  to  be  all  cut  off 
at  once — suddenly — when  engaged  in  feasting  together, 
on  their  eldest  brother's  birth-day  ! — "  this,  added  to  all 
the  preceding  unprecedented  misfortunes,  was  sufficient, 
and  more  than  sufficient,  to  have  driven  most  men  dis- 
tracted."* 

And  what  advantage  was  it  now  to  Job,  that  he  had 
done  his  utmost  to  secure  the  divine  favor  resting  on  his 

*  Scott. 


74  THE  BLESSING  DESCENDING. 

numerous  and  affectionate  children  1  Of  these  seasons 
of  festivity  he  had  not  been  without  some  previous  appre- 
hension ;  but  still  in  them  he  had  detected  nothing  sinful : 
otherwise  the  same  high  authority  which  could  secure  the 
unanimous  attendance  of  his  children,  at  his  usual  family 
sacrifice,  next  morning,  could  as  easily  have  put  an  end 
to  such  proceedings  altogether.  But  no ;  his  practice 
then  was  but  a  signal  proof  of  his  eminent  and  habitual 
watchfulness  over  their  best  interests  ;  and,  by  Satan,  the 
day  was  seized  upon  with  ingenious  malignity,  only  to 
render  the  stroke  more  severe.  What  advantage,  then, 
did  Job  derive  1  What  form  or  shape  of  blessing  rested 
on  his  anguished  heart,  on  the  evening  of  that  eventful 
day,  after  all  his  care,  and  all  his  burnt-sacrifices  1  Oh  ! 
let  us  only  imagine,  for  one  moment,  that  he  had  not  so 
conducted  himself;  nay,  that  he  had  not  done  so  towards 
only  one  single  child,  whether  son  or  daughter;  that  he 
had  acted  like  Eli  with  Hophni  and  Phineas,  or  even  like 
David  with  Absalom  or  Adonijah ;  would  he  so  soon  have 
been  able  to  express  himself  as  he  did  ?  Would  he  so 
soon  have  been  able  to  have  said,  "  Blessed  be  the  name 
of  the  Lord  ? "  I  believe  not.  Here  then  is,  even  now, 
one  form  of  blessing,  and  that,  far  from  an  inferior  one, 
which  rested  on  the  head  of  this  deeply-afflicted  parent. 
And  though,  afterwards,  the  still  accumulating  weight 
extorted  from  him  some  impatient  expressions,  which 
many  have  inconsiderately  opposed  to  the  scriptural  com- 
mendation of  his  patience  :  although  Job  afterwards  cried 
— "  O  remember  that  my  life  is  wind  :  mine  eye  shall  no 
more  see  good ;  thine  eyes  are  upon  me,  and  I  can  live  no 
longer ;"  in  all  this  he  was  mistaken.  Good  he  lived  to 
see,  greater  than  he  had  ever  known :  greater  good  in  his 
own  experience — greater  in  his  family — greater  in  his 
substance,  and  in  all  that  concerned  him. 

The  commencement  of  Jehovah,  however,  is  particu- 


THE  BLESSING  DESCENDING.  75 

larly  worthy  of  observation.  In  the  very  depths  of  the 
earth,  covered  with  disease,  and  still  bereft  of  all  he  once 
possessed,  is  Job  selected  to  the  high  office  of  a  mediator 
before  God.  As  much  as  to  say,  that  a  good  man,  when 
at  his  lowest,  might  even  then  rank  high  above  all  around 
him  in  divine  favor ;  that  though  he  walk  in  darkness, 
without  a  ray  of  the  sun  of  providence  to  beam  upon  him : 
so  far  from  this  being  an  index  of  his  actual  condition  in 
the  sight  of  God,  it  might  be  the  reverse.  What  an 
answer,  then,  was  Job,  in  this  low  condition,  to  many  of 
the  false,  though,  in  other  respects,  powerful  reasoning  of 
his  friends  ?  "  Offer  up  for  yourselves  a  burnt-offering," 
said  Jehovah  to  them,  "  and  my  servant  Job  shall  pray  for 
you ;  for  him  will  I  accept  (though  he  has  been,  and  is 
still  despised  of  men) ;  lest  I  deal  with  you  after  your 
folly." 

Immediately  after  this  marked  and  singular  vindication 
of  his  character,  the  imputation  of  which  had  been  to  him 
the  bitterest  ingredient  in  his  cup  of  wo,  see  the  Almighty 
turning  his  captivity,  or  reversing  his  affliction,  by  re- 
dressing, individually,  every  grievance.  His  health  is  re- 
established :  his  high  respectability  of  character  more  than 
returns ;  his  relatives  and  neighbors,  who  once  stood 
aloof,  or  shuddered  at  the  sight  of  him,  come  bending 
around  him — either  afraid  of  disregarding  such  a  favorite 
of  Heaven,  or  eager  to  obtain  the  benefit  of  his  interces- 
sions and  instructions.  Instead  of  being  considered  the 
greatest  sinner  in  the  land,  he  is  raised,  not  merely  to  the 
authority  of  a  judge  among  men,  as  he  had  been  before  ; 
he  has  been  elevated  to  the  higher  ground  of  a  mediator. 
To  crown  the  whole,  as  a  testimony  that  his  beloved 
children  were  not  in  the  same  condition  with  his  other 
perishable  property  ;  that  they  were  "  not  lost,  but  gone 
before  ;  "  he  has  precisely  the  same  number  of  sons,  and 
the  same  of  daughters,  by  the  same  mother  !  The  pro- 


76  THE  BLESSING  DESCENDING. 

perty  of  Job,  in  every  kind,  had  been  exactly  doubled. 
Now,  the  same  number  of  children  being  restored  to  him 
in  this  world,  has  been  supposed  to  indicate,  that,  with 
those  who  had  gone  before,  these  were  doubled  also.  But 
whatever  may  be  thought  of  this  conjecture,  there  can  be 
no  doubt  that  Job  was  singularly  blest  in  both  families. 
Both  were  distinguished  at  once  for  obedience  to  him, 
and  affectionate  harmony  among  themselves.  The  former 
family  has  been  already  noticed ;  and  the  latter  had  so 
acted  as  to  be  ranked  with  the  former  among  the  number 
of  the  blessings  by  which  God  had  distinguished  him. 
His  sons,  and  his  sons'  sons,  even  to  the  fourth  genera- 
tion, dwelt  round  him ;  and  for  each  of  his  daughters  he 
provided  an  inheritance  "  among  their  brethren."  For 
one  hundred  and  forty  years  also  did  this  extraordinary 
man  survive  to  enjoy  his  family  comforts ;  so  that,  instead 
of  being  written  childless,  or  his  grey  hairs  descending 
with  sorrow  to  the  grave,  he  leaves  a  numerous  posterity, 
and  does  not  expire  till  he  "  is  old  and  full  of  days,"  or 
satisfied  with  life. 

A  more  eminent  instance  of  the  divine  blessing  resting 
on  a  parent  and  his  family,  we  do  not  meet  with  in  the 
whole  compass  of  divine  Revelation.  And  though  Eliphaz 
the  Temanite  could  little  imagine  that  his  words  would 
ever  literally  be  verified,  in  the  experience  of  his  deeply- 
afflicted  friend,  yet  so  it  was  : 

And  thou  shalt  know  that  thy  tabernacle  shall  be  in  peace ; 
And  thou  shalt  visit  thy  habitation,  and  not  sin : 

Thou  shalt  know  also  that  thy  seed  shall  be  great, 

And  thine  offspring  as  the  grass  of  the  earth : 
Thou  shalt  come  to  thy  grave  in  a  full  age, 
Like  as  a  shock  of  corn  cometh  in,  in  its  season. — Job  v.24,25. 

Having  now  "  heard  of  the  patience  of  Job,  and  seen 
the  end  of  the  Lord,"  that  he  is  still  very  pitiful  and  Q£ 


THE  BLESSING  DESCENDING.  77 

tender  mercy  :  having  disposed  of  this  confessedly  difficult 
and  mysterious  case ;  let  me  remind  the  reader,  that 
though,  in  conscientious  paternal  conduct,  when  met  by 
filial  obedience,  there  may  be  a  tendency  to  the  prolonga- 
tion of  human  existence ;  and  certainly  the  opposite 
characters  very  often  live  not  out  half  their  days  ;  still  the 
blessing  promised  consists  not  in  temporal  or  sublunary 
good,  although  this  becomes  a  frequent,  if  not  a  general 
associate.  In  the  blessing  of  God  there  is  something 
infinitely  superior.  It  consists  in  mercy,  the  vestibule  to 
all  spiritual  good  ;  or  in  righteousness,  the  summary  of  all 
to  which  mercy  alone  can  introduce.  "  The  mercy  of 
the  Lord  is  from  everlasting  to  everlasting  upon  them  that 
fear  him,  and  his  righteousness  unto  children's  children  ; 
to  such  as  keep  his  covenant,  and  to  those  who  remember 
his  commandments  to  do  them." 

In  illustration  of  this  blessirig  descending,  I  shall,  in 
this  section,  only  refer  to  the  Father  of  the  faithful ;  and 
I  the  rather  select  him,  because  here  is  a  proof  that  the 
Almighty  had  been  acting  on  the  same  principle,  long 
before  it  was  committed  to  writing  on  Sinai.  Nor  let  it 
be  thought  that,  in  selecting  Abraham,  I  point  too  high. 
There  is  nothing  recorded  respecting  this  eminent  man, 
so  far  as  my  reference  goes,  which  was  recorded  "  for  his 
sake  only,"  but  "  for  us  also ;  "  and  with  regard  to  his 
domestic  character,  in  particular,  there  is  certainly  nothing 
recorded  which  is  inimitable.  Even  "  those  who  are  not 
of  the  circumcision  "  must,  if  his  children,  walk  in  the 
steps  of  the  patriarch  :  and  it  will  be  found  that  they 
actually  do  so,  just  in  proportion  as  they  prize  and  indulge 
the  hope  of  sitting  down  with  him  in  the  heavenly  Canaan. 
"  Abraham,"  said  the  Lord,  "  I  will  bless  thee,  and  thou 
shalt  be  a  blessing."  Full  of  the  divine  blessing,  it  should 
be  his  felicity  to  impart  blessing  to  thousands.  Accord- 
ingly, all  the  true  blessedness  which  the  wide  world  is 
7* 


78  THE  BLESSING  DESCENDING, 

now  enjoying,  may  be  traced  up  to  Abraham  and   his 
posterity.     "  To  him  and  them,  under  God,  are  we  in- 
debted for  the  Scriptures — the  Saviour — the  church, — for 
his  posterity  are  the  stock  on  which  the  church  is  graft- 
ed !  "     The   sources   of  some   of  our  largest  rivers  are 
unknown  ;   great  enterprise  has  been  shown  in  tracing 
them  up,  while  eager  curiosity  has  waited  and  longed  for 
certain  accounts  of  final  success.     Let  the  Christian  here 
observe  from  whence  a  mightier  current  has  come,  and 
he  will  at  last  arrive    at    a   single  tent  in  the  land  of 
Canaan — :a   single    family — a  single   home.     Among   its 
inmates,  he  is  directed  to  the  Father  ;  for  of  him  God  had 
said,    "  I   know   Abraham,   that   he   will   command   his 
children  and  his  household  after  him  ;  and  they  shall  keep 
the  way  of  the  Lord,  to  do  justice   and  judgment ;  that 
(in  order  that)  the  Lord  may   bring  upon  Abraham  that 
which  he  hath  spoken  of  him."     What !  it  may  be  said, 
is  it  after  all  come  to  this  ?     Was  not  the  promise  of  God 
spontaneously  free  and  absolute  1     Did  he  not  say,  "  Abra- 
ham, I  will  bless  thee,  and  thou  shaft  be  a  blessing?" 
Yes,  he  did ;  but  still  the  most  absolute  promise  may,  and 
the  most  absolute  promise  must,  have   an  appropriate  and 
congruous  channel  in  which  to  run.     Down  this  channel, 
therefore,  the  Almighty  sent  his  choicest  favors,  widening 
and  deepening  its  course  ;  and  though  many  of  Abraham's 
posterity  acted,  alas !  unworthy  of  their  first  father,  yet 
there  ever  was  a  remnant  who  walked  in  his  footsteps. 
Jehovah   would   keep    his   covenant,    and   preserved   his 
posterity  distinct,  till  out  of  it  came  the  Messiah,  blessing 
all   nations !      Nay,   what   constitutes    at   this   hour   his 
greatest  moral  miracle,  distinct  he  preserves  that  posterity 
still : 

Mysterious  race !  depriv'd  of  land  and  laws, 
A  general  language,  and  a  public  cause ; 


THE  BLESSING  DESCENDING.  79 

With  a  religion  none  can  now  obey  ; 
With  a  reproach  which  none  can  take  away  : 
A  people  still,  whose  common  ties  are  gone; 
Who,mix'd  with  every  race, are  lost  in  none! 

If  the  cloud  which  burst  over  poor  King  Saul  was  long 
of  drifting  to  leeward,  and  forty  years  afterwards  was  still 
discharging  its  thunders  ;  on  the  other  hand,  the  blessing 
of  which  Abraham  was  full,  is,  it  seems,  not  even  yet 
exhausted  !  Yes ;  the  gifts  and  calling  of  God  are  irrevo- 
cable. Even  now,  in  his  conduct  towards  the  Jews,  there 
is  more  of  design  to  be  seen  than  towards  any  people  on 
the  face  of  the  earth.  Their  peculiar  preservation  is  in 
order  to  their  ultimate  calling ;  and  blessed  indeed  is  the 
party  who  shall  be  employed,  under  God,  as  the  conductor 
to  break  that  cloud  which  has  hung  over  them  so  long. 
Break  when  it  may,  it  will  burst  in  blessings  on  their 
head  ;  nor  is  there  any  single  event  in  which  the  church, 
nay,  the  world  is  so  much  interested. — "  Through  our 
mercy  they  also  shall  obtain  mercy ;  but  what  shall  the 
recovering  of  them  be,  but  as  life  from  the  dead  ? " 

Thus,  however  large  the  compass  which  He  may  fetch 
in  his  mysterious  judgments,  the  God  of  Abraham,  ever 
faithful  to  his  word,  will  fulfil  his  promise,  literally,  in  all 
its  magnificence. 

Under  this  head  I  might  proceed  to  almost  any  length  ; 
but,  presuming  that  the  following  section  will  be  received 
as  a  practical  illustration  and  proof  of  the  same  subject,  to 
it  I  refer  the  reader,  as  affording  ample  evidence  of  the 
divine  blessing  resting  on  a  parent's  endeavors. 


SECTION  SIXTH. 


THE     MORAL     POWER     PECULIAR     TO     THE     DOMES- 
TIC    CONSTITUTION. 

This  Power  a  combination  of  qualities:  First,  The  beneficial  power 
of  the  Parent  over  the  Child,  illustrated  by  reference  to  Abraham 
— Isaac — Jacob — Moses — Solomon — and  the  Parents  of  the  Apos- 
tles. Second,  The  Power  which  the  Parent  enjoys  of  forming  the 
Child  to  greatness  of  character,  or  extensive  usefulness,  illus- 
trated first  by  reference  to  Scripture  characters,  and  then  to  others 
of  modern  date ;  viz.  Alfred — Washington — Sir  William  Jones — 
Milton — Boerhaave — Linnaeus — Pascal — Cowper — Baxter — Hall 
— Doddridge — Edwards — Dwight — Lady  Rachel  Russel — Lady 
Bacon — Mrs.  Hutchison — Mrs.  Elizabeth  Rowe — Mrs.  Cecil — 
Mrs.  Dwight — Miss  Smith — Miss  Bacon,  and  many  others. 
Third,  The  Power  of  the  domestic  Constitution  in  forming  the 
character  of  Servants.  Fourth,  The  Power  of  resistance  to  evil, 
inherent  in  the  Family  Constitution,  illustrated  by  reference  to 
Joshua,  and  the  remarkable  history  of  the  Kenites  or  Rechabites. 

To  understand  this  domestic  constitution  aright,  and  to 
feel  impressed  with  a  sense  of  its  importance  in  the 
economy  of  nations,  it  becomes  necessary  to  observe  it  in 
actual  operation,  and  in  the  singular  effects  of  which, 
under  the  blessing  of  God,  it  has  been  the  cause.  The 
moral  power  thus  conspicuously  displayed  by  it,  will,  I 
presume,  furnish  another  most  striking  proof  of  its  divine 
origin. 

We  have  already  remarked,  that  it  is  in  a  family  where 


THE  DOMESTIC  CONSTITUTION.  81 

the  parents  are  Christians,  and  of  course  are  regulated  by 
the  oracles  of  God,  that  this  constitution  is  seen  in  all  its 
strength  and  beauty.  Another  family,  though  of  the  same 
constitution,  resembles  an  apparatus,  in  motion  indeed, 
but  shattered  and  deranged  ;  while,  in  this,  we  see  the 
same  apparatus  in  order,  proceeding  harmoniously,  and 
reaching  the  end  intended  by  its  Maker.  The  moral 
power  to  which  I  allude  is  not  so  much  the  power  of 
numbers,  for  these  are  not  great ;  but  various  modifications 
of  power,  which  are  found  scattered  elsewhere,  yet  indi- 
vidually moving  and  sustaining  other  bodies,  are  here 
combined.  There  is  much  of  power  in  authority,  much  in 
precept  and  in  example,  much  in  union  and  in  sympathy  : 
they  are  here  all  united.  Here  each  of  these  have  an 
appropriate  sphere  of  operation,  in  which  they  thrive  and 
grow  to  the  greatest  extent ;  and  not  only  so,  but  they 
grow  best  in  harmony  with  each  other,  growing  and 
strengthening  with  each  other's  growth  and  strength. 

There  seem  to  be,  at  least,  four  different  points  of 
view  in  which  this  power  ought  to  be  regarded.  These 
contemplated,  first  separately,  and  then  in  union,  will 
display  both  its  peculiar  character  and  prodigious  extent. 
First,  The  influence  or  power  which  the  judicious  parent 
acquires  over  the  child,  and  the  beneficial  purposes  to 
which  this  power,  in  such  hands,  naturally  tends.  Second, 
The  power  which  the  parent  enjoys  of  forming  the  child 
to  greatness  of  character  or  extensive  usefulness.  Third, 
The  power  inherent  in  the  domestic  constitution  to  form, 
or  reform,  and  improve  the  character  of  servants.  Fourth, 
The  irresistible  energy  inherent  in  the  constitution  itself, 
as  a  whole,  for  preserving  religion  or  morality,  and  repel- 
ling evu1  or  the  corruption  of  manners. 

First,  THE  INFLUENCE  OR  POWER  WHICH  THE  JUDI- 
CIOUS PARENT  ACQUIRES  OVER  THE  CHILD,  AND  THE 

BENEFICIAL    PURPOSES     TO     WHICH    THIS    POWER,    IN    SUCH 
HANDS,     NATURALLY     TENDS. 


82  THE  MORAL  POWER  OF 

Witness  the  power  which  Abraham  must  have  acquired 
over  Isaac,  when  you  see  him  yield  to  his  father  on  the 
top  of  Mount  Moriah,  for  I  have  no  idea  that  any  violence 
was  used.  Witness  the  influence  of  this  son  over  Jacob, 
when  called  upon  to  discover  the  object  of  his  highest 
veneration  by  solemn  oath.  Then  you  hear  him  swear 
"  by  the  Fear  of  his  Father  Isaac.33  See  him  also  on  the 
way  to  Egypt,  yet  afraid  to  go  down,  and,  as  soon  as  he 
arrives  at  Beersheba,  the  border  of  Canaan,  lest  he  should 
plant  his  foot  on  forbidden  ground,  see  him  solemnly 
recognize  his  connection  with  Isaac.  There  he  offers 
sacrifices  to  the  God  of  his  Father  Isaac,  and  the  Al- 
mighty as  strikingly  adverts  to  this.  He  replied  in  a 
vision  of  the  night,  "I  am  God,  the  God  of  thy  Father:  I 
will  go  down  with  thee  into  Egypt;  and  I  will  also  surely 
bring  thee  up;  and  Joseph  shall  put  his  hand  on  thine 
eyes.33 — Dead  or  alive,  as  though  the  Lord  had  said,  it 
matters  not,  for  my  promise  of  blessing  extends  to  thee 
and  thine  beyond  the  grave :  still  "I  will  bring  thee  up." 
So  Joseph,  under  God,  was  the  instrument  employed — 
closing  his  father's  eyes  in  death,  and  bringing  up  his 
body  into  the  land  of  promise.  Witness  the  influence  of 
Jacob  on  Joseph.  One  day,  v/hen  yet  only  a  lad,  Jacob 
had  said  to  him,  "What  is  this  dream  that  thou  hast 
dreamed?  Shall  I,  and  thy  mother,  and  thy  brethren, 
indeed  come  to  bow  down  ourselves  to  thee  to  the  earth?3' 
Yet  Joseph  lived  to  show  the  old  man  how  all  this  might 
be  true,  and  how  he  could  still  retain  for  him  the  highest 
regard  and  affection.  See  him,  though  "  Lord  of  all 
Egypt,33  bowing  before  his  venerable  parent,  and  venera- 
ting and  cherishing  him,  bringing  even  his  children  to 
receive  their  old  grandfather's  blessing ;  and  see  him 
afterwards,  in  company  with  his  brethren,  and  in  exact 
compliance  with  his  father's  request,  carrying  the  bones 
of  the  patriarch  up  into  Canaan  with  so  much  respect. 


THE  DOMESTIC  CONSTITUTION.  83 

Witness  the  influence  of  his  parents  on  Moses.  Here  was 
education  too — that  powerful  engine — standing  in  the 
way,  and  which,  so  far  as  it  went,  must  have  chained  him 
down  to  Egypt :  but  all  is  as  nothing  before  the  influence 
of  his  nursing  mother  and  father.  The  choice  of  Moses 
is  ascribed,  indeed,  to  faith,  for  nothing  else  could  account 
for  it ;  but  "  faith  cometh  by  hearing  ;  "  and  in  the  court 
of  Pharaoh,  or  from  Pharaoh's  daughter,  what  had  he 
heard,  if  his  parents  had  not  instilled  into  his  mind  their 
own  principles  ? 

But  I  need  not  here  multiply  examples,  with  which  the 
Sacred  Scriptures  abound ;  otherwise  one  might  dwell  on 
the  influence  and  power  of  many  parents :  the  influence 
of  such  a  mother  as  Hannah  over  such  a  son  as  Samuel ; 
the  influence  of  the  grandmother  of  Timothy  on  his 
mother,  and  of  his  mother  on  him,  the  man  of  whom  even 
Paul  said  afterwards,  "  I  have  no  man  like-minded,"  or 
so  dear  to  me. 

THE  APOSTLES. — There  is,  however,  one  illustrious 
group  of  examples,  which  must  not  be  so  passed  over : 
they  will  be  seen  standing  in  the  closest  connection  with 
our  blessed  Saviour  himself,  who,  in  laying  the  foundation 
of  his  own  imperishable  kingdom,  availed  himself  to  such 
an  extent  of  the  power  of  parental  influence  and  natural 
attachment.  The  principle  on  which  he  proceeded  in  the 
selection  of  his  particular  friends  and  apostles,  if  it  is  dis- 
coverable, is  certainly  a  subject  of  great  interest  and  laud- 
able curiosity  ;  it  has  therefore  often  afforded  matter  of 
speculation.  Observe,  however,  the  following  facts,  and 
then  say  whether  it  does  not  actually  seem  as  though,  by 
his  procedure,  he  had  intended  to  commend  the  subject 
now  before  us  to  the  most  serious  attention  of  Christians 
individually,  and  the  Christian  church  in  all  ages. 

Of  the  twelve  men  whom  he  selected  for  apostles,  while 


84  THE  MORAL  POWER  OF 

not  one  of  them  belonged  to  Jerusalem,  and  not  one  of 
them,  as  far  as  we  know,  was  taken  from  the  tribe  of 
Levi,  more  than  the  half  were  under  previous  natural  con- 
nections among  themselves.  The  natural  relationship, 
however,  of  these  apostles  to  each  other,  as  well  as  their 
connection  with  the  parents  who  gave  them  birth,  like 
many  other  subjects,  is  not  apparent  at  first  view,  nor  does 
any  single  passage,  in  so  many  words,  inform  us  of  either. 
The  sacred  penmen  pursue  their  own  high  purpose  or 
end,  while  they  write  so  as  to  invite  search  ;  and  numer- 
ous are  the  discoveries  which  result  from  cautious  induc- 
tion, and  a  careful  comparison  of  incidental  expressions. 
As  far  as  the  Apostles  and  their  Parents  are  noticed,  in 
a  variety  of  places,  the  following  may  be  taken  as  the 
result : 

PARENTS.  CHILDREN. 

JONAS  and Peter  and  Andrew. 

ZEBEDEE  and  SALOME, James  and  John. 

CLEOPAS  or  ALPHEUS  )  C  James  and  Jude* 

and  MARY,  5 (.  Simon\  and  Matthew.\ 

Cleopas  and  Mary  had  indeed  yet  another  son,  called 
Joses  or  Joseph  ;  so  Mary  is  said,  in  one  place,  to  be  the 
mother  of  James,  and  Joses,  and  Simeon,  and  Judas  ; 
and,  as  she  was  also  nearly  related  to  the  mother  of  our 
Lord,  these,  her  children,  in  the  large  acceptation  of  the 
Jewish  phraseology,  were  called  "his  brethren,"  while, 
by  the  same  passage,  it  also  appears  that  Mary  had  several 
daughters. 

Thus,  of  the  twelve  apostles  of  the  Lamb,  eight  of  them 
were  brothers  chosen  out  of  three  families ;  and  nothing, 
by  the  way,  could  be  more  lovely  than  these  brothers 
going  out,  two  and  two,  as  they  afterwards  did,  by  the 

*  Or  Judas,  not  Iscariot,  or  Lebbeus,  or  Thaddeus. 
t  Or  Simon  Zelotes,  or  Simon  the  Canaanite. 
t  Or  Levi  the  son  of  Alpheus. 


THE  DOMESTIC  CONSTITUTION.  85 

direction  of  their  Saviour.  On  the  eminence  of  these 
men  I  need  not  dwell,  nor  on  their  importance  in  estab- 
lishing Christianity.  They  include  the  only  individuals 
in  the  apostleship  who  wrote  any  part  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment ;  nay,  five  out  of  the  eight  are  writers  in  Scripture  ; 
ten  of  its  books  they  are  inspired  to  compose,  including 
two  lives  of  the  Saviour  himself,  seven  epistles,  and  the 
book  of  Revelation  ;  one  of  them  opens  the  door  of  faith 
to  the  nations  of  the  world,  and,  from  attachment  to  their 
Master,  one  is  the  first,  and  another  the  last,  who  suffered 
for  his  sake. 

It  is  however  on  account  of  their  Parents,  and  in  con- 
nection with  them,  that  they  have  been  here  introduced. 
Of  these  parents  the  brief  notices  in  Scripture  are  ex- 
tremely interesting,  and,  when  they  are  all  united,  it  is 
presumed  the  inference  will  be  clear  and  striking,  that  to 
them  their  children  must  have  been  signally  indebted. 

Of  the  parents  of  the  two  first  mentioned,  Peter  and 
Andrew,  we  know  least.  Of  their  mother  indeed  nothing 
is  said,  so  that  probably  she  was  gone  to  a  better  world  ; 
and  of  their  father,  though  but  little  is  recorded,  that  little 
seems  honorable  to  his  character.  When  a  man  is  intro- 
duced in  Scripture  as  the  son  of  such  a  one,  it  will  be 
found  generally  to  denote  something  either  good  or  bad, 
honorable  or  the  opposite,  in  the  parent's  character, 
though  most  frequently  it  denotes  that  his  character  was 
exemplary,  and  worthy  of  being  handed  down  to  posterity 
on  the  sacred  page.  Now,  immediately  on  Peter  being 
called,  you  hear  him  thus  addressed,  "  Thou  art  Simon, 
the  son  of  Jonas;"  and  at  a  later  period,  "JBlessed  art 
thou,  Simon,  Bar  Jona,  for  flesh  and  blood  hath  not  re- 
vealed this  unto  thee,  but  my  Father,  who  is  in  heaven." 
As  though  he  had  said,  Here  is  one  thing  of  which  your 
own  father  never  did,  and  never  could  inform  you.  But  it 
was  on  one  of  the  most  memorable  and  affecting  occasions 
8 


§6  THE  MORAL  POWER  OF 

in  his  future  existence  that  he  was  reminded  of  this  con- 
nection, with  an  emphasis  which,  I  doubt  not,  went  with 
him  to  the  grave.  "  Simon,"  said  Jesus,  "  son  of  Jonas, 
lovest  thou  me  1 "  Surely  there  must  have  been  design 
in  this  mode  of  address,  repeated  as  it  was  not  less  than 
three  times.  Was  there  not  something  under  it,  and  more 
meant  than  met  the  ear  ?  Was  it  not  saying  in  effect, — • 
Oh,  Simon  !  only  act  in  character,  and  be  a  son  worthy 
of  such  a  Father,  as  well  as  an  apostle  worthy  of  your 
Lord  and  Master  1  Thus,  at  the  calling,  the  congratula- 
tion, and  the  reproof  of  Peter,  equally  intended  for  the 
formation  of  his  character,  the  name  of  his  Father  is 
never  omitted. 

Another  son  of  this  venerable  parent  was  Andrew.  He 
was  one  of  the  two  first  who,  by  the  direction  of  the 
Baptist,  found  the  Messiah,  and  who  not  only  evinced  the 
strongest  attachment,  but  exulted  that  he  had  found  the 
key  to  a  book  with  which  he  had  been  well  acquainted. 
He  instantly  seeks  for  his  own  brother,  Simon,  saying, 
"  We  have  found  him  of  whom  Moses  in  the  law  and 
the  prophets  did  write,"  He  it  was,  too,  who  without  loss 
of  time  enjoyed  the  felicity  of  first  introducing  Peter  to 
his  Lord  and  Saviour. 

By  the  time  that  these  two  individuals  were  called  to  a 
constant  attendance  on  Jesus,  the  old  man,  Jonas,  is  gen- 
erally supposed  to  have  been  dead,  no  mention  being 
made  of  him,  as  there  is  of  Zebedee,  when  his  two  sons 
were  called.*  If  so,  this  accounts  for  the  slender  notice 
of  him  in  the  Evangelical  history.  His  name,  however, 

*  By  this  time  also  Peter  had  taken  James  and  John,  the  sons  of 
Zebedee,  into  partnership  in  business  with  him, — a  proof,  by  the 
way,  of  subsisting  friendship,  and  of  the  closest  previous  intimacy. 
That  their  attachment  to  Christ  may  have  contributed  to  cement 
their  union  in  one  business  is  not  improbable,  as  for  some  time  Peter 
at  least  had  known  him  ;  but,  whether  or  not,  the  Saviour  broke  up 


THE  DOMESTIC  CONSTITUTION.  87 

is  introduced  with  honor,  and,  in  the  training  of  these  his 
sons,  every  candid  reader  will  feel  disposed  to  believe  he 
had  been  exemplary.  As  it  was  an  advantage  to  David 
that  he  was  the  son  of  Jesse,  so  it  should  seem  it  had  been 
to  them,  that  they  were  the  sons  of  Jonas. 

The  information,  however,  respecting  the  parents  of 
the  rest  of  these  apostles  is  more  ample,  besides  being  in 
itself  interesting  in  no  common  degree. 

James  and  John  come  next  in  order,  the  influence  of 
whose  parents  in  the  formation  of  their  character  is  more 
evident,  from  the  deep  interest  which  they  themselves 
took  in  the  cause  of  the  Messiah.  It  is  true  that  John 
the  Baptist  was  the  harbinger  of  the  Messiah,  but  still  he 
came  to  make  ready  a  people  prepared  for  tJie  Lord,  as 
well  as  to  call  sinners  to  repentance.  Much  remained 
for  him  to  do  and  say  in  every  case ;  but  preparation- 
work  had  unquestionably  been  going  on,  and  in  this  it  is 
not  difficult  to  descry  the  hand  of  parents.  To  part 
cheerfully  with  a  son,  already  engaged  in  business  and 
often  assisting  his  father,  when  called  to  wait  constantly 
on  the  Saviour  in  the  days  of  his  reproach,  while  his 
cause  was  yet  only  in  prospect,  will  surely  be  admitted  to 
have  evidenced  something  like  both  faith  and  love.  But 
here  was  a  Father,  who,  in  one  day,  parted  with  his  two 
only  sons,  and  yet  seems  to  have  cheerfully  acquiesced. 
The  old  man,  Zebedee,  was  with  James  and  John  when 
they  were  called  away ;  yet,  however  much  their  leaving 
himself  as  well  as  their  nets  involved,  so  far  as  he  is  con- 
cerned, not  a  word  is  heard  against  it.  Here  too  was  a 


the  whole  concern, — took  the  three  partners  into  union  with  him- 
self, encouraging  them  by  the  assurance,  that  from  henceforth  they 
should  be  engaged  in  nobler  employment.  These  were  the  men 
who  saw  him  in  the  height  of  his  glory  on  Mount  Tabor,  and  in  the 
depth  of  his  humiliation  in  Gethsemane,— the  men  whom  he  favored 
with  such  peculiar  distinction. 


88  THE  MORAL  POWER  OF 

Mother,  who  not  only  approved,  but  followed  their  foot- 
steps ;  nay,  set  them  an  example,  and,  in   some  respects, 
kept  still  a-head  of  them  ;  for  she  not  only  followed  Jesus, 
but  ministered  to  him  of  her  substance.     True,  her  zeal, 
like  that  of  her  children  and  all  the  apostles,  was,  occa- 
sionally, not  according  to  knowledge ;  and,  in  requesting 
for    these    her    children    the    most   honorable   places    in 
Christ's  kingdom,   she   was  wrong.      Maternal   ambition 
she  might  display  in  this  one  instance,  but  still,  by  her 
ministering  to  Jesus,  she  had  discovered  her  superiority  to 
the  love  of  the  world,  as  well  as  her  devout  attachment 
to  his  person  and  kingdom.     This  incident,  however,  is 
important,  so   far  as   Salome   is  concerned.     James  and 
John,  who  themselves  also,  at  that  period,  desired  to  enjoy 
the  right   and  left  hand  of  the   Saviour,  seem  to  have 
thought  that,  by  employing  their  mother  as  the  petitioner, 
they  were   most   likely   to   ensure   success, — at  once   a 
striking  proof  of  the  power  which  she  still  possessed  over 
them,  and  of  the  high  esteem  which  they  believed  the 
Saviour  entertained  for  her  character.     Yes,  she  gave  the 
Messiah,  with  all  her  heart,  two  sons  for   apostles, — fol- 
lowed herself  in  his  train,  contributing  to  his  support, — 
and  to  her  was  the  melancholy  but  honorable  task  assigned 
of  receiving   the   mother   of   Jesus,   and   consoling  her 
while  the  Messiah  was  yet  bleeding  on  the  tree  of  execu- 
tion.    To  her  too,  on  the  morning  of  his  resurrection,  he 
appeared,  and  to  her  he  spoke  before  he  did  so  to  either 
of  her  sons  ;    nay,   to   any  of  the   apostles.      Such    was 
Salome,   a  woman  worthy  of  being  the  mother  of  the 
disciple  whom  Jesus  loved.     Surely  then,  without  saying 
more  of  Zebedee,  to  such  a  mother  both  James  and  John 
must  have  been  greatly  indebted. 

Mary,  the  mother  of  four  of  the  apostles,  as  well  as  of 
Joses  or  Joseph  (who  is  generally  regarded  to  have  been 
one  of  the  two  individuals  whom  the  apostles  proposed  a.§ 


THE  DOMESTIC  CONSTITUTION.  89 

qualified  to  fill  the  place  of  Judas,  and  who,  therefore,  had 
accompanied  the  Messiah  in  all  his  travels),  sustained  a 
character  equal  to  that  of  Salome,  her  constant  companion. 
This  eminent  woman  had  the  felicity  not  only  of  furnish- 
ing four  out  of  the  twelve  apostles  of  the  Lamb, — she, 
too,  followed  him,  and  she  also  ministered  to  him  of  her 
substance,  with  the  cordial  consent  of  such  a  man  as 
Cleopas  her  husband.  At  the  closing  scene,  to  her  also 
was  given  the  honor  of  standing  by,  and  sustaining  the 
mother  of  Jesus,  when  he  was  stretched  on  the  cross. 
Yes,  close  by  her,  and  near  the  cross,  stood  Mary,  ac- 
companied by  Salome,  and  there  she  heard  the  Saviour 
address  his  mother  and  the  beloved  John  in  these  affecting 
words: — "Woman,  behold  thy  son,"  "Man,  behold  thy 
mother."  In  consequence  of  this  dying  injunction,  we 
know  what  followed  :  in  "  that  hour"  the  injunction  was 
obeyed.  At  the  commencement  of  the  great  darkness, 
she  is  generally  supposed  to  have  been  led  off  the  ground 
by  John  and  his  mother,  Salome,  and  there  she  had  an 
opportunity  of  gratifying  an  attachment,  equally  conspic- 
uous with  that  of  the  wife  of  Cleopas.*  These  two 


*Thus  did  the  Great  Redeemer  himself  conclude  his  life  as  he 
had  begun  it,  by  giving  a  testimony  in  favor  of  filial  piety,  consign- 
ing to  the  disciple  whom  he  loved,  a  mother  now  full  of  anguish, 
who,  when  the  sufferer  was  a  child,  had  carried  him  in  her  bosom 
up  and  down  through  the  Holy  Land  ;  nay,  down  into  Egypt,  and 
back  again,  or  altogether  more  than  eight  hundred  miles  ; — a  mother 
who  had  revered  him  when  only  twelve  years  old,  and  who,  through 
life,  had  most  religiously  observed  his  sayings,  laying  them  up  in 
her  heart,  and  pondering  over  them.  To  her,  oh,  what  an  hour  was 
this  !  yet,  when  the  sky  had  cleared,  we  find  her  again  still  quite 
in  character.  And  O,  when  she  did  see  the  apostles  rejoicing  that 
they  were  counted  worthy  to  suffer  shame  for  his  sake, — when  she 
did  see  the  multitude  of  them  that  believed,  to  be  of  one  heart  and 
of  one  soul, — here  was  joy  indeed,  which  was  meant  to  counter- 
balance all  her  deep  anguish.  Probably  no  other  human  heart  was 
ever  acquainted  with  such  extremes,  in  point  of  feeling. 
8* 


90  THE  MORAL   POWER  OF 

individuals,  the  parents  of  six  of  the  apostles,  united  with 
Mary  Magdalene,  in  the  purchase  of  spices  for  embalming 
the  body  of  Jesus;  and,  though  their  purchase  was 
altogether  unnecessary,  on  the  morning  of  the  resurrec- 
tion they  were  amply  repaid.  Salome  has  indeed  been 
already  noticed,  but  she  may  again  be  referred  to,  in 
company  with  her  friend  and  inseparable  companion. 
These  were  the  two  women  to  whom  the  angel  first  an- 
nounced the  resurrection,  and  to  whom  he  said,  "Be  not 
affrighted;  for  I  know  that  ye  seek  Jesus  of  Nazareth, 
who  was  crucified. — He  is  not  here,  but  is  risen  :  come, 
see  the  place  where  the  Lord  lay."  To  them  also  did  he 
give  the  charge  of  informing  the  apostles ;  nay,  to  these 
two  parents  did  our  Lord  himself  make  his  second  ap- 
pearance, saying,  "  All  hail ! "  and  repeating  the  com- 
mission which  the  angel  had  given,  but  in  still  more 
endearing  terms,  he  styles  their  children  and  the  other 
apostles,  his  brethren.  Thus,  did  they  not  only  see  him, 
but  believed  in  the  event  before  the  apostles  themselves  ! 

Nor  must  Cleopas  or  Alpheus,  the  husband  of  Mary, 
and  the  Father  of  these  Apostles,  be  forgotten.  You  may 
conjecture  what  his  character  must  have  been,  and  how 
very  high  he  stood  in  the  Saviour's  estimation,  when, 
though  not  an  apostle,  he  appeared  to  him  before  them, 
Peter  only  having  seen  him  in  the  former  part  of  the  day. 
Cleopas  was  one  of  the  two  highly-favored  men  to  whom 
our  Lord  appeared  on  the  road  to  Emmaus. — "  Did  not 
our  hearts  burn  within  us,"  said  they,  "  while  he  talked 
with  us  by  the  way,  and  while  he  opened  to  us  the  Scrip- 
tures ? " — No  wonder ;  he  walked  with  them  leisurely 
several  miles,  for  it  was  more  than  seven  miles  distant 
from  Jerusalem,  and  vouchsafed  to  him  and  his  com- 
panion more  of  his  conversation  on  the  day  of  his 
resurrection  than  he  did  to  any  of  his  children ;  for  he 
actually  expounded  to  them,  in  all  the  Scriptures,  the 


THE  DOMESTIC  CONSTITUTION.  gj 

things  concerning  himself.  The  deep  interest  which 
Cleopas  and  his  companion  took  in  all  this  is  finely  drawn, 
in  their  entreaties  which  prevailed  with  the  Messiah  to 
sit  down  at  the  table  with  them.  This  was  the  man  with 
whom,  after  his  resurrection,  our  Lord  first  engaged  in 
devotional  exercises.  Over  the  food  of  which  he  was 
about  to  partake,  the  Saviour  condescended  to  implore 
the  Divine  blessing;  nay,  he  himself  broke  the  bread,  and 
gave  to  them,  before  he  ceased  to  be  visible.  Judge  then 
of  the  intense  interest  of  Cleopas,  and  with  what  feelings 
he  must  have  returned,  as  he  immediately  did,  though,  as 
one  of  his  arguments  with  Jesus,  he  had  said,  "  the  day 
is  far  spent,  for  it  is  towards  evening."  Judge  what  must 
have  been  his  feelings,  when  he  returned  to  inform  his 
sons  and  the  other  apostles  of  this  appearance,  and  of 
this  long  conversation,  over  and  above  "  all  that  had  hap- 
pened."— What  a  change  to  him,  upon  entering  Jerusalem, 
from  the  feelings  with  which  he  had  so  pensively  left  it ! 
Now,  assuredly,  the  man,  to  whom  our  Lord  conde- 
scended on  such  a  day  to  pay  such  regard,  must  have 
enjoyed  a  high  place  in  his  esteem, — the  man  who  could 
appreciate  such  an  extensive  expository  range  over  the 
Old  Testament  must  have  been  well  acquainted  with  this, 
his  Bible, — the  man  whose  heart  so  burned  within  him 
must  have  been  a  saint  of  the  highest  order.  But  then, 
this  man  was  the  father,  and  his  wife  the  mother  of  a 
third  of  the  apostleship.  Is  it  not  remarkable — is  it  not 
confirmatory  of  the  subject  before  us,  that  the  husband 
and  wife,  who  appear  so  conspicuously  in  connection  with 
the  great  God,  our  Saviour,  and  with  the  greatest  of  all 
earthly  events,  should  turn  out  to  be  the  parents  of  not 
less  than  four  of  the  apostles  1  Is  it  not  also  especially 
worthy  of  notice,  how  the  Saviour,  on  the  day  he  rose 
from  the  dead,  employs  first  maternal  and  then  paternal 
influence  to  induce  in  the  minds  of  these  their  children, 


92  THE  MORAL  POWER  OF 

as  well  as  the  other  apostles,  the  faith  of  his  own  resurrec- 
tion ?  Surely  the  influence  of  this  eminent  pair,  and 
their  weight  of  character,  must  have  been  great ;  and 
where  had  these  fallen  with  so  much  weight  as  on  such 
sons?  Yes,  unquestionably,  their  influence  and  their 
example  must  have  had  corresponding  power  over  these 
their  children. 

In  adverting  to  the  Sun  of  Righteousness,  I  could  not 
persuade  myself  to  be  less  particular,  since,  if  guided  by 
his  light,  parental  duty  and  influence  will  be  regarded  as 
belonging  to  the  very  root  of  society,  and  as  laying  a  deep 
foundation  for  spiritual  prosperity  in  the  church.  For 
what  is  all  this,  if  it  is  not  a  family-group,  or  a  little  group 
of  families?  What  is  it  but  "the  hearts  of  the  fathers 
turned  to  their  children,  and  the  hearts  of  the  children 
turned  to  their  fathers?"  Is  it  not  now  manifest — is  it 
not  felt  how  remarkably,  and  to  what  extent  our  blessed 
Lord  availed  himself  of  the  influence  of  the  parental 
character,  and  the  power  of  natural  family  attachments, 
where  the  fear  of  God  had  been  made  the  bond  of  union  ? 

Second,     THE    POWER  WHICH    THE    PARENT    ENJOYS 

OF  FORMING  THE  ClIILD  TO  GREATNESS  OF  CHARACTER, 

is  another  striking  proof  of  the  energy  inherent  in  the 
Family  Constitution. 

To  this  source  the  eminence  of  most  of  the  great  men 
in  Scripture  may  be  traced.  Whether  the  children  at  last 
rose  to  be  prophets,  or  legislators,  or  kings,  though  much 
more  is  recorded  of  them  than  of  their  parents,  their 
hand  and  their  influence  is,  in  many  instances,  abundantly 
manifest;  nay,  even  when  nothing  else  is  recorded  of  the 
son,  except  the  name,  his  lineage  is  thought  deserving  of 
notice.  Of  the  sixteen  prophets,  whose  writings  we  con- 
sult and  so  admire,  we  know  perhaps  less  than  of  any 
other  men  so  eminent.  The  only  mark  of  inspired  dis- 


THE  DOMESTIC  CONSTITUTION.  93 

tinction,  however,  is  the  record  of  their  descent.  Eight 
out  of  the  sixteen  are  named  in  connection  with  the 
father  who  gave  them  birth :  Zechariah's  grandfather  is 
also  mentioned,  and  Zephaniah's  ancestors  are  traced 
back  to  the  extent  of  the  fourth  generation.  This  patro- 
nymic style,  I  am  aware,  is  generally  passed  over,  as 
recording  nothing  more  than  the  surname  of  the  indi- 
vidual ;  yet  I  query,  whether  in  the  Sacred  Writings  it  is 
not  often  intended  to  involve  something  more.  However, 
putting  these  extraordinary  men  altogether  out  of  view,  I 
may  notice  two  or  three  others  from  Scripture,  before 
proceeding  to  various  proofs  taken  from  authentic  general 
history,  corroborative  of  the  remark  at  the  head  of  this 
division. 

DAVID. — The  king  of  Israel,  taken  all  in  all,  was  one 
of  the  most  extraordinary  men  of  whom  we  read,  since 
he  was,  in  fact,  the  highest  personal  type  of  the  Messiah. 
On  him,  it  is  true,  at  a  very  early  period,  the  eye  of  the 
Almighty  had  been  fixed;  but  with  the  training  up  of 
Jesse,  or  of  his  worthy  partner,  the  mother,  he  will  not 
interfere ;  nor  is  David  taken  out  of  their  hands  till  an 
impression  is  made  which  never  left  him.  The  first 
notice  of  him  in  Scripture  is  after  Samuel  had  mourned 
for  years  together  over  the  misconduct  arid  the  rejection 
of  Saul.  He  is  then  informed  that  God  had  found  a 
youth  among  the  sons  of  Jesse,  the  Bethlehemite,  suitable 
for  the  throne.  His  youth  indeed  seems  to  have  staggered 
all  parties.  His  brethren  are  displeased,  while  Samuel 
and  Saul  are  alike  astonished  at  his  premature  character ; 
and  well  they  might.  When  he  was  anointed  to  be  king 
another  day,  the  ruddy  boy,  "  withal  of  a  beautiful  coun- 
tenance, and  goodly  to  look  to,"  could  not  be  more  than 
fifteen  years  of  age  !  Shortly  after  this,  he  was  familiar 
with  remarkable  interpositions  in  his  favor,  which  he 


94  THE  MORAL  POWER  OF 

rightly  interpreted  as  divine.  At  such  an  early  age  he 
had  encountered  and  destroyed  a  lion  and  a  bear,  and  he 
was  but  about  twenty  when  he  slew  Goliath.  Very  soon 
after  this,  his  character  for  bravery,  and  his  skill  in  music, 
are  alike  established,  and  he  is  also  represented  as  "  pru- 
dent in  matters."  Now,  this  development  of  character, 
at  such  an  early  period,  is  a  circumstance  decidedly  in 
favor  of  the  influence  of  his  parents.  The  truth  is,  that 
David  was  the  son  of  their  old  age,  for  Jesse  "  went  among 
men  for  an  old  man  in  the  days  of  Saul,"  and  on  him  they 
were  encouraged  to  bestow  peculiar  pains. 

The  name  of  this  good  old  Parent,  however,  is  more 
than  once  introduced  in  Scripture  in  connection  with  a 
greater  than  David  ;  and  this  it  is  which  seems  to  mark 
him  out  as  a  character  of  great  influential  power.  Is  it 
nothing  that,  long  after  David  was  gone  to  the  grave,  his 
name  should  be  glanced  at  in  such  language  as  this? 
"  There  shall  come  forth  a  rod  out  of  the  stem  of  Jesse, 
and  a  branch  shall  grow  out  of  his  roots;  and  the  Spirit 
of  the  Lord  God  shall  rest  upon  him."  And  when  even 
the  conversion  of  the  Gentiles  is  spoken  of,  a  similar  style 
is  preferred.  "  In  that  day  there  shall  be  a  root  of  Jesse, 
— to  it  shall  the  Gentiles  seek,  and  his  rest  shall  be  glori- 
ous." What  though  this  form  of  expression  was  adopted 
to  symbolize  the  lowliness  of  the  Redeemer's  parentage, 
surely  it  is  to  the  honor  of  the  father  of  David  that  he  is 
so  introduced?  This  connection  of  David  with  his  father 
had  however  been  recognized  when,  at  the  age  of  fifteen, 
he  was  first  introduced  to  notice.  "  I  have  found  David, 
the  son  of  Jesse,"  said  Jehovah,  "  a  man  after  my  own 
heart,  which  shall  fulfil  all  my  will."  Now,  is  it  too  much 
to  suppose  that  the  foundation  of  the  Divine  choice  rested 
on  his  past  filial  obedience  ?  Was  it  not  this  that  afforded 
the  fairest  promise  of  his  future  conduct?  Indeed  I 
should  not  wonder  if  his  exaltation  to  the  throne  was 


THE  DOMESTIC  CONSTITUTION.  95 

intended  to  operate  on  him,  partly  as  a  reward  of  his 
uniform  respect  and  subjection.  Having  reverenced  the 
father  of  his  flesh,  he  is  now  called  to  display  his  superior 
reverence  to  the  Father  of  his  spirit.  If  God  knew  Abra- 
ham, from  his  past  conduct,  that  he  would  command  his 
children,  so  he  knew  David,  that  he  would  obey,  as  he 
had  already  done.  "  He  will"  said  the  Lord,  "  do  all 
things  that  I  will." 

Yes,  to  this  old  man  David  certainly  had  been  a  most 
dutiful  child ;  and  when,  in  other  days,  he  came  into  deep 
distress,  so  highly  did  he  think  of  his  beloved  mother  as 
to  plead  even  his  descent  from  her,  if  not  also  the  pains 
she  had  taken  with  him,  as  one  ground  of  his  petitions. 
"  O  turn  unto  me,"  he  prays,  "  and  have  mercy  upon  me ; 
give  thy  strength  unto  thy  servant,  and  save  the  son 
of  thine  handmaid"  On  another  occasion  he  says, 
"  Precious  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord  is  the  death  of  his 
saints."  I  have  thought  it  not  improbable,  that  here  he 
alluded  to  the  death  of  his  mother,  since,  as  though  he 
had  desired  to  follow  in  her  train,  he  immediately  adds, 
"  O  Lord  !  truly  I  am  thy  servant ;  I  am  thy  servant,  'and 
the  son  of  thine  handmaid."  "  Not  only,"  as  though  he 
had  said,  "  am  I  subject  to  thine  authority  and  obedient 
to  thy  laws,  but  I  am  the  child  of  a  godly  mother."  In 
delineating  character,  the  greatest  caution  is  observable 
in  Scripture :  let  the  reader  therefore  only  consider  what 
is  involved  in  the  expression,  "  handmaid  of  the  Lord," — 
the  terms  employed  with  reference  to  the  mother  of 
Samuel  and  the  mother  of  Jesus, — he  will  then  be  dis- 
posed to  admit  the  influence  which  the  wife  of  Jesse,  as 
well  as  Jesse  himself,  had  in  forming  the  man  "  according 
to  God's  own  heart." 

One  scene  in  the  life  of  this  great  man  shows  the  high 
regard  which  he  entertained  for  these  his  parents.  Con- 
cealing himself  from  Saul  in  the  cave  of  Adullam,  he  felt 


96  THE  MORAL  POWER  OF 

in  the  greatest  extremity.  Appealing  to  God,  he  ex- 
claimed, "  They  have  prepared  a  net  for  my  steps ;  my 
soul  is  bowed  down."  As  for  himself,  his  mind  was  fixed. 
"  In  the  shadow  of  thy  wings,"  says  he,  "  will  I  make  my 
refuge,  until  these  calamities  be  overpast."  But  when  his 
parents  came  to  sympathize  with  him  there,  they  must 
not  be  so  exposed.  Recollecting,  perhaps,  that  the  grand- 
mother of  Jesse,  his  father,  was  a  Moabitess,  he  conducts 
him  and  his  mother  to  the  other  side  of  the  Dead  Sea,  to 
Mizpeh  of  Moab  :  "  and  he  said  to  the  king  of  Moab, 
Let  my  Father  and  my  Mother,  I  pray  thee,  come  forth, 
and  be  with  you  till  I  know  what  God  will  do  with  me. 
And  he  brought  them  before  the  king  of  Moab  :  and  they 
dwelt  with  him  all  the  while  that  David  was  in  the  cave." 
The  death  of  this  venerable  pair,  or  at  least  the  solace 
of  their  company,  and  the  benefit  of  their  advice,  David 
surely  had  in  view  on  another  occasion ;  for  whatever 
others  did,  long  as  they  lived,  they  never  cast  him  off;  no, 
they  never  once  voluntarily  forsook  him  ;  and  his  lan- 
guage goes  to  the  heart  as  finely  descriptive  of  the  only 
way  in  which  he  imagined,  that,  to  him,  the  loss  could 
ever  be  repaired  in  this  world.  "  Leave  me  not,"  he 
says,  "  leave  me  not,  neither  forsake  me,  O  God  of  my 
salvation  !  When  my  father  and  my  mother  forsake  me, 
then  the  Lord  will  take  me  up  !  Teach  me  thy  way,  O 
Lord,  and  lead  me  in  a  plain  path  because  of  mine 
enemies."  At  all  events,  for  an  individual  grown  up  to 
manhood,  who  had  already  been  celebrated  by  the  daugh- 
ters of  Israel  for  his  prowess  as  a  warrior,  who  had  been 
anointed  to  be  a  king,  and  had  the  prospect  of  a  throne, 
and  such  a  throne !  for  such  a  man  thus  to  refer  to  his 
father  and  mother,  and  to  hand  this  down  to  posterity,  I 
must  consider  an  indubitable  proof  of  a  great  mind  :  and 
if,  by  this  time,  he  was  already  on  the  throne,  these  ex- 
pressions of  filial  regard  render  him  greater  still.  What 


THE  DOMESTIC  CONSTITUTION.  97 

became  of  the  old  people  we  are  not  informed  :  but,  long 
as  David  lived,  he  remembered  his  father.  When  even 
Solomon  ascended  the  throne  in  his  sight,  he  forgot  not 
his  descent  from  such  a  parent ;  and,  in  the  last  Psalm  he 
is  generally  supposed  to  have  penned,  he  closes  by  saying, 
— "  the  prayers  of  David,  the  son  of  Jesse,  are  ended." 
When  even  his  last  words  are  recorded,  (2  Samuel  xxiii. 
1.),  the  father's  name,  it  seems,  must  not  be  omitted :  so 
that,  to  the  very  close  of  life,  this  great  and  extraordinary 
man  is  held  up  to  us  as  the  "  stem  of  Jesse.3'  Parental 
influence  therefore,  in  David's  case,  will,  it  is  presumed, 
now  be  admitted. 

As  a  father,  David  himself  will  yet  be  noticed.  Amidst 
the  affairs  of  his  kingdom,  and  frequent  wars,  as  a  parent, 
at  one  period,  he  failed  sadly,  and,  as  a  husband,  he  fell. 
For  such  neglect,  however,  even  the  affairs  of  a  kingdom 
form  no  apology.  These  sins,  therefore,  not  only  cost 
him  extreme  anguish,  but  they  stand  recorded  as  the 
greatest  blots  in  his  character.  Still,  after  his  own  in- 
iquities had  corrected  him,  and  his  backslidings  had 
reproved  him,  there  was  one  child  who  filled  his  old  heart 
with  joy.  This,  however,  was  a  son  whom  he  himself 
instructed,  and  one  of  whom  both  himself  and  the  mother 
took  such  care,  and  with  whom  they  were  at  such  pains, 
as  will  appear  afterwards. 

JOHN  THE  BAPTIST. — To  this  parental  influence,  emi- 
nence in  the  church  as  well  as  in  the  state  may  very  often 
be  distinctly  traced. 

Of  John  the  Baptist,  one  said,  who  knew  perfectly 
every  prophet  that  had  preceded  him,  "  Verily,  I  say  unto 
you,  among  them  that  are  born  of  women,  there  hath  not 
arisen  a  greater  than  John  the  Baptist." 

But  this  wonderful  man  was  in  the  desert  till  the  day 
of  his  showing  unto  Israel,  there  enjoying  the  benefit  of 
9 


98  THE  MORAL  POWER  OF 

such  parents  as  Zacharias  and  Elizabeth  must  have  been. 
"  They  were  both  righteous  before  God,  walking  in  all  the 
commandments  and  ordinances  of  the  Lord  blameless." 
With  what  delight  then  must  the  Father  have  uttered 
these  words  :  "  And  thou,  child,  shall  be  called  the  prophet 
of  the  Highest :  for  thou  shalt  go  before  the  face  of  the 
Lord  to  prepare  his  way  !  "  Old  though  he  was,  long  as 
he  breathed,  he,  as  well  as  Elizabeth,  must  have  watched 
over  him ;  for  their  early  death  is,  at  best,  a  mere  conjec- 
ture,— but  other  instructors  John  had  none.  The  say- 
ings respecting  him  might  be  "  noised  abroad  through  all 
the  hill-country  of  Judea,"  and  interest  in  other  quarters 
a  few  like  themselves ;  but  scribes,  or  priests,  or  teachers 
of  the  law,  he  had  none.  Under  his  parent's  eye,  "  the 
child  grew  and  waxed  strong  in  spirit,  and  was  in  the 
desert  till  the  day  of  his  showing  unto  Israel." 

SOLOMON. — Among  the  characters  in  Scripture  con- 
spicuous for  greatness  of  mind,  another  individual,  equally 
remarkable  for  political  wisdom,  and  for  general  as  well 
as  religious  knowledge,  must  not  be  omitted,  Solomon, 
the  son  of  David:  a  man  who  possessed  "wisdom  and 
understanding  exceeding  much,  and  largeness  of  heart,  as 
the  sand  that  is  on  the  sea-shore, — whose  wisdom  excelled 
the  wisdom  of  all  the  children  of  the  East,  and  all  the 
wisdom  of  Egypt ;  one,  in  short,  who  was  wiser  than  all 
men,  and  whose  fame  was  in  all  nations  round  about : 
who  uttered  three  thousand  proverbs,  and  his  songs  were 
a  thousand  and  five, — who  spake  of  trees,  from  the  cedar 
that  is  in  Lebanon,  even  unto  the  hyssop  that  springeth 
out  of  the  wall ;  who  spake  also  of  beasts  and  of  fowl,  of 
creeping  things  and  of  fishes." 

It  is  true  that,  at  one  remarkable  period  of  his  existence, 
he  received  what  no  parent,  however  anxious,  could 
bestow ;  an  immense  accession  to  all  his  powers  immedi- 


THE  DOMESTIC  CONSTITUTION.  99 

ately  from  the  Almighty :  but  then  this  accession  to  his 
former  greatness  was  in  answer  to  his  own  request,  and  it 
stands  recorded  as  the  effect  of  his  own  choice.  Now,  at 
the  auspicious  moment  when  Jehovah  put  the  question, 
"  Ask  what  I  shall  give  thee." — Why  select  wisdom  and 
understanding  ?  At  a  moment  when  he  had  every  thing 
in  his  option  which  God  himself  could  give,  had  parental 
influence  and  parental  advice,  tenderly  and  often  repeated, 
no  share  in  guiding  him  to  this  selection  '?  Solomon  him- 
self will  tell  you.  "  I  was,"  he  replies,  "  I  was  my 
father's  son,  tender  and  only  beloved  in  the  sight  of  my 
mother.  He  taught  me  also,  and  said  unto  me, — Let 
thine  heart  retain  my  words;  keep  my  commandments 
and  live.  Get  wisdom,  get  understanding :  forget  it  not ; 
neither  decline  from  the  words  of  my  mouth. — Wisdom  is 
the  principal  thing ;  therefore  get  wisdom:  and,  with  all 
thy  getting,  get  understanding.  Exalt  her,  and  she  shall 
promote  thee :  she  shall  bring  thee  to  honor  when  thou 
dost  embrace  her."  To  these  parental  monitions,  if  the 
reader  desires  to  hear  an  echo  of  approbation  from  heaven, 
he  may  do  so,  in  1  Kings  iii.  10 — 14 ;  and  should  he 
wish  to  know  what  Solomon  himself,  in  mature  age, 
thought  of  such  parental  instruction,  he  will  find  it  in  such 
words  as  these, — "  Keep  thy  father's  commandment,  and 
forsake  not  the  law  of  thy  mother  :  when  thou  goest,  it 
shall  lead  thee ;  when  thou  sleepest,  it  shall  keep  thee ; 
and  when  thou  awakest,  it  shall  talk  with  thee.  For  the 
commandment  is  a  lamp,  and  the  law  is  light,  and  reproofs 
of  instruction  are  the  way  of  life." 

After  the  numerous  proofs  already  adduced,  does  it  not 
now  appear  evident,  that  the  Almighty  has  condescended 
for  ages  to  discover  his  marked  regard  for  the  domestic 
constitution,  and  its  strong  natural  attachments,  as  afford- 
ing to  him  the  most  efficient  means,  either  of  perpetuating 
his  fear  in  our  world,  or  reviving  it  1  Not  that  Scripture 


100  THE  MORAL  POWER  OF 

does  not  furnish  us  with  instances,  where  no  such  analogy 
holds.  For  the  sovereignty  of  God  there  is  ample  scope 
in  this  rebellious  world  ;  but,  so  far  from  disregarding  a 
constitution  of  his  own  creation  and  upholding,  he  has,  in 
the  great  majority  of  recorded  cases,  taken  the  opportunity 
of  pointing  out  to  his  people  the  moral  power  and  numer- 
ous advantages  inherent  in  its  very  frame.  I  am  far  from 
having  forgotten  Elijah,  or  Daniel,  or  Paul :  but  neither 
these  nor  any  other  can  weaken  the  force  of  what  has 
been  advanced.  The  two  former,  had  Scripture  not  been 
silent,  might  have  confirmed  these  statements ;  and,  as 
for  the  last,  his  case  was  altogether  out  of  the  usual  course 
of  nature;  and,  with  his  own  characteristic  humility,  he 
scruples  not  so  to  tell  us. 


Let  it  not,  however,  be  supposed,  that  in  the  Sacred 
Scriptures  alone  are  to  be  found  apt  and  forcible  illustra- 
tions of  the  remark  with  which  this  division  begins.  No. 
These  are  characters,  it  is  true,  that  will  continue  to  abide 
a  comparison  with  the  illustrious  of  any  age ;  like  the 
lofty  mountains  of  nature,  whether  existing  in  Europe,  in 
Asia,  or  America,  which  are  admired  for  their  altitude 
and  sublimity  by  every  spectator  and  in  every  period  of 
time.  But,  with  a  view  to  interest  the  young  and  rising 
generation,  the  parents  of  a  future  age,  as  well  as  to  illus- 
trate to  parents  themselves,  the  power  of  forming  to  future 
greatness  of  character,  which  is  lodged  in  their  hands  by 
the  appointment  of  God,  I  may  be  permitted  to  introduce 
a  few  of  the  greatest  men  who  have  lived  since  the  volume 
of  Revelation  was  closed.  With  their  names,  it  is  true, 
all  men  are  already  familiar  :  but,  to  the  parental  eye 
especially,  there  is  scarcely  a  more  interesting  point  in 
which  their  characters  can  be  studied,  than  the  moment 
when  these  were  yet  only  in  the  bud.  It  will  then  be 


THE  DOMESTIC  CONSTITUTION.  101 

seen  that  what  Cowper  said  of  his  oak  might  be  applied  to 
most  of  them  : 

Time  was,  when,  settling  on  thy  leaf,  a  fly 
Could  shake  thee  to  the  root — and  time  has  been 
When  tempests  could  not. 

ALFRED  THE  GREAT. — When  the  early  period  in  which 
he  livedj  and  the  disadvantages  under  which  he  labored, 
are  considered,  perhaps  Alfred  the  Great  stands  at  the 
head  of  British  biography.  A  man  who  was  not  only 
skilled  in  the  art  of  government,  but  who  acquired  such  a 
knowledge  of  the  Scriptures,  and  the  truths  they  unfold ; 
who  cultivated,  at  such  an  age,  philosophy  and  history, 
geography,  and  astronomy,  and  botany ;  who  was  himself 
an  author  as  well  as  a  translator  and  corrector  of  previous 
historians  ;  a  man  whose  genius,  not  confined  to  literature, 
extended  to  the  arts  of  architecture  and  ship-building,  gold 
and  silver  workmanship,  and  even  other  branches.  All 
these  acquirements  have  justly  entitled  him  to  the  epithet 
of  "  great ; "  though  another  simple  and  impressive  addi- 
tion to  his  name,  by  an  author  of  the  eleventh  century, 
crowns  the  whole.  He  is  there  styled,  "  Alfred  the  truth- 
teller." 

Of  the  greatness  of  Alfred's  mind,  some  idea  may  be 
formed  from  the  manner  in  which  he  speaks  of  the  Divine 
Being.  In  reply  to  the  question,  "  Why  is  God  called 
the  Highest  Eternity?"  he  says — 

"  Because  we  know  very  little  of  that  which  was  before  us,  except 
by  memory  and  by  asking ;  and  yet  we  know  less  of  that  which  will 
be  after  us.  That  alone  exists  rationally  to  us  which  is  present ; 
but  to  HIM  all  is  present,  as  well  that  which  was  before  as  that 
which  now  is,  and  that  which  after  us  will  be.  All  of  it  is  present 
to  HIM.  His  riches  increase  not,  nor  do  they  ever  diminish.  He 
never  remembers  any  thing,  because  he  never  forgets  aught :  He 
seeks  nothing,  nor  inquires,  because  he  knows  it  all :  He  searches 
for  nothing,  because  he  loses  nothing :  He  pursues  no  creature, 
because  none  can  fly  from  him :  He  dreads  nothing,  because  he 
9* 


102  THE  MORAL  POWER  OF 

knows  no  one  more  powerful  than  himself,  nor  even  like  him :  He 
is  always  giving,  and  never  wants :  He  is  always  Almighty, 
because  he  always  wishes  good  and  never  evil.  To  him  there  is  no 
need  of  any  thing.  He  is  always  seeing :  He  never  sleeps :  He 
is  always  alike  mild  and  kind.  He  will  always  be  Eternal :  hence 
there  never  was  a  time  that  he  was  not,  nor  ever  will  be.  He  is 
always  free  :  He  is  not  compelled  to  any  work.  From  his  divine 
power,  he  is  everywhere  present.  His  greatness  no  man  can  meas- 
ure. He  is  not  to  be  conceived  bodily,  but  spiritually,  so  as  now 
wisdom  is  and  reason.  But  he  is  wisdom :  He  is  reason  itself." 

Of  David,  the  king  of  Israel,  we  judge  by  his  Psalms ; 
and  certainly  the  exercise  of  devotion,  if  left  on  record, 
often  illustrates,  in  the  most  satisfactory  manner,  not  only 
the  views  of  the  individual  as  to  religion  itself,  but  the 
loftiness  and  elevation  of  his  soul.  For  a  few  moments, 
then,  listen  to  this  Anglo-Saxon  king,  of  the  ninth 
century,  when  pouring  out  his  heart  before  God : 

"  Come  now  to  help  me,  O  Thou  who  art  the  only  Eternal ;  the 
true  God  of  Glory:  Father  and  Son,  and  so  art  now;  and  Holy 
Spirit,  without  any  separation  or  mutability,  and  without  any  neces- 
sity or  diminution  of  power,  and  who  never  diest.  Thou  art  always 
dwelling  in  the  highest  brightness,  and  in  highest  happiness  :  in 
perfect  unanimity,  and  in  the  fullest  abundance.  With  thee  there 
is  no  deficiency  of  good,  but  Thou  art  ever  abiding,  replete  with 
every  felicity,  through  endless  time. 

To  thee,  O  God,  I  call  and  speak.  Hear,  O  hear  me,  Lord!  for 
thou  art  my  God  and  my  Lord ;  my  Father  and  my  Creator ;  my 
ruler  and  my  hope;  my  wealth  and  my  honor;  my  house;  my 
country ;  my  salvation  and  my  life !  Hear,  hear  me,  O  Lord  ! 
Few  of  thy  servants  comprehend  Thee.  But  Thee  alone  I  love, 
indeed,  above  all  other  things:  Thee  I  seek;  Thee  I  will  follow; 
Thee  I  am  ready  to  serve.  Under  thy  power  I  desire  to  abide,  for 
Thou  alone  art  the  Sovereign  of  all.  I  pray  The*  to  command  me 
as  thou  wilt." 

After  this,  the  reader  will  certainly  not  object  to  another 
proof  of  the  eminence  of  his  devotion  : 

"  Now  I  have  sought  Thee  :  unlock  thy  door,  and  teach  me  how 
I  may  come  to  Thee.  I  have  nothing  to  bring  to  Thee,  but  my 
good-will ;  but  I  myself  have  nothing  else.  1  know  nothing  that  is 


THE  DOMESTIC  CONSTITUTION.  1Q3 

better  than  to  love  Thee,  the  heavenly  and  the  spiritual  One,  above 
all  earthly  things.  But  I  know  not  how  I  can  come  to  Thee,  unless 
Thou  pennittest  me.  Teach  it  to  me,  and  help  me.  If  those, 
through  Thee,  find  the  truth,  who  find  Thee,  give  me  that  truth. 
If  they,  through  Thee,  obtain  any  virtue  who  obtain  Thee,  impart  to 
me  that  virtue  ;  if  wisdom,  grant  me  that  wisdom.  Add  to  me  the 
hope  of  the  life  everlasting,  and  pour  thy  love  upon  me. 

Oh  !  how  thy  goodness  is  to  be  admired,  for  it  is  unlike  all  other 
goods.  My  desire  is  to  Thee  ;  and  this  most  chiefly,  because  with- 
out Thee  I  cannot  come  to  Tfiee.  If  thou  abandonest  me,  then  I 
shall  be  removed  from  Thee ;  but  I  know  that  Thou  wilt  not  for- 
sake me,  unless  I  forsake  Thee.  But  1  will  not  forsake  Thee,  be- 
cause Thou  art  the  highest  good.  There  is  none  of  those  who  seek 
Thee  rightly,  that  may  not  find  Thee.  But  they  only  will  seek 
Thee  rightly,  whom.  Thou  instructest  to  seek  Thee,  and  teachest 
how  to  find  Thee," 

Many  other  specimens  might  be  given  ;  for  "  the  sub- 
ject never  occurs  to  his  pen,  but  he  dilates  upon  it  with 
such  visible  affection,  as  to  show  that  this  was  the  habit- 
ual and  predominant  feeling  of  his  lofty  and  cultivated 
mind." 

Inquire  now,  as  to  the  earliest  existing  cause,  of  all 
these  prodigious  acquirements,  at  such  an  early  period,  in 
a  man  who  passed  through  the  severest  civil  commotions, 
and  who,  establishing  himself  and  his  posterity  on  the 
throne  of  England,  brought  order  and  subordination  out 
of  the  greatest  confusion  ;  and  who,  during  the  greater 
part  of  his  life,  was  also  the  subject  of  very  frequent 
bodily  anguish.  Go  back  to  the  days  of  his  childhood, 
and,  though  greatly  above  his  years  in  the  knowledge  of 
men  and  things,  yet  see  him  passing  into  youth  still  unable 
to  read !  But  when  Alfred  was  twelve  years  old,  Judith, 
his  step-mother,  the  grand-daughter  of  Charlemagne, 
"  was  sitting  one  day,  surrounded  by  her  family,  with  a 
manuscript  of  Saxon  poetry  in  her  hands.  With  a  happy 
judgment,  she  proposed  it  as  a  gift  to  him  who  would  the 
soonest  learn  to  read  it.  The  elder  princes,  one  then  a 
king,  the  others  in  mature  youth  or  manhood,  thought  the 


104  THE  MORAL  POWER  OF 

reward  inadequate  to  the  task,  and  were  silent ;  but  the 
mind  of  Alfred,  captivated  by  the  prospect  of  information, 
and  pleased  with  the  beautiful  decoration  of  the  first  letter 
of  the  writing,  inquired  if  she  actually  intended  to  give 
it  to  such  of  her  children  as  would  the  soonest  learn  to 
understand  and  repeat  it?  His  Mother,  repeating  the 
promise,  with  a  smile  of  joy  at  the  question,  he  took  the 
book,  found  out  an  instructor,  and  learnt  to  read  it. 
When  his  industry  had  crowned  his  wishes  with  success, 
he  recited  it  to  her.  To  this  important,  though  seemingly 
trivial  incident,  we  owe  all  the  intellectual  cultivation, 
and  all  the  literary  works  of  Alfred,  as  well  as  all  the 
benefit  which  by  these  he  imparted  to  his  countrymen.  If 
this  family  conversation  had  not  occurred,  Alfred  would 
probably  have  lived  and  died  as  ignorant,  as  unimportant, 
and  as  little  known,  as  his  three  brothers." 

The  thirst  thus  excited  by  his  Mother  was  not  to  be 
soon  satisfied.  In  future  life,  therefore,  he  was  to  be 
seen  inquiring  for  teachers  on  every  subject,  or  teaching 
himself  where  these  could  not  be  procured.  He  was  to 
be  seen  searching  most  eagerly  for  books,  and  sparing  no 
cost  in  procuring  them.  For  one  book  on  cosmography, 
Alfred  is  said  to  have  given  a  very  large  estate ! 

This  strong  desire  after  learning,  so  effectually  im- 
planted by  Judith,  may,  however,  be  traced  to  some 
circumstances  in  early  life,  and  then  his  Father  appears. 
Certainly  he  had  neglected  his  education,  so  far  as  the 
mechanical  art  of  reading  goes;  but  of  Alfred  he  had 
been  particularly  fond.  When  only  about  five  years  of 
age,  he  had  sent  him  to  see  the  world,  under  proper  care, 
as  far  as  Italy  ;  and  before  he  had  reached  his  eighth 
year,  his  father  himself  went  with  him,  through  France, 
a  second  time,  as  far  as  Rome.  The  survey  of  the 
Capitol,  as  well  as  all  that  he  had  seen  elsewhere,  must 
have  produced  strong  impressions  even  on  a  child,  es- 


THE  DOMESTIC  CONSTITUTION.  1Q5 

pecially  such  a  child,  and  must  have  engendered,  in  a 
mind  like  his,  great  eagerness  for  knowledge,  and  the 
cultivation  of  his  mind. 

At  a  subsequent  period  of  his  life,  while  a  young  man, 
there  is  no  .doubt  that  Alfred  was  a  very  different  charac- 
ter, and  often  fell  into  such  a  misery,  that  none  of  his 
subjects  knew  where  he  was ;  and  it  seems  equally  evident, 
that,  during  his  seclusion  and  afflicted  state,  in  a  little 
islet,  formed  by  the  stagnated  waters  of  the  Thone  and 
Parret,  in  Somersetshire,  called  Athelway,  a  great  change 
was  effected  in  his  mind.  Indeed  after  this  he  appears 
a  new  character,  and,  in  future  life,  the  subject  of  such 
varied  excellencies,  as  the  grace  and  power  of  God  alone 
can  produce ;  but  still  the  parents  of  this  man  may,  and 
must,  be  allowed  their  share  in  forming  his  mind,  and  even 
sowing  the  seeds  of  his  future  eminence. 

The  greatness  of  some  men,  however,  consists  merely 
in  cultivating  their  own  minds;  but  to  do  this,  mainly 
with  a  view  to  benefit  others,  is  a  much  higher  character. 
If  it  is  a  great  thing  to  be  truly  blessed,  it  is  greater  still 
to  be  a  blessing.  Such  a  man  was  Alfred.  With  his 
code  of  laws  and  trial  by  jury ;  his  arrangements  for  en- 
lightening and  civilizing  his  whole  kingdom  ;  his  foreign 
correspondence;  and  the  never-to-be-forgotten  sentiment 
expressed  by  him  in  his  will,  "!T  is  JUST  THAT  THE 
ENGLISH  SHOULD  FOR  EVER  REMAIN  FREE  AS  THEIR  OWN 
THOUGHTS;"  with  any  of  these  we  cannot  interfere — do- 
mestic economy  being  our  present  object.  Now  it  so 
happens,  that,  in  the  arrangement  and  order  of  his  family ; 
in  the  distribution  of  his  time ;  in  the  disposal  of  his 
property ;  and  in  the  education  and  training  of  his  chil- 
dren ;  Alfred  was  as  eminent  an  example  to  posterity  as 
he  was  in  any  one  of  the  excellencies  already  mentioned. 
Several  of  his  children  died  in  infancy,  but  five  survived 
him ;  and  he  lived  to  be  rewarded  in  a  great  degree  for 


106  THE  MORAL  POWER  OF 

all  his  vigilant  superintendence.  His  eldest  daughter, 
Ethelfleda,  was  an  extraordinary  woman,  and  is  extolled 
as  having  been  "the  wisest  lady  in  England."  His 
youngest  son,  Ethel  weard,  became  celebrated  for  his 
learning.  His  eldest  son  and  successor,  Edward,  and  his 
daughter  Alfritha,  were  educated  at  home,  under  his  own 
eye,  with  the  utmost  care.  It  was  to  this  son  that  Alfred, 
at  the  close  of  all  his  greatness,  in  this  world,  addressed 
his  patriarchal  adieu,  so  finely  descriptive  of  his  character 
as  a  man,  a  monarch,  and  a  parent : 

"Thou,"  quoth  Alfred,  " my  dear  son,  set  thee  now  beside  me, 
and  I  will  deliver  thee  true  instructions.  My  Son,  I  feel  that  ray 
hour  is  coming :  my  countenance  is  wan ;  my  days  are  almost  done. 
We  must  now  part.  I  shall  to  another  world,  and  thou  shalt  be  left 
alone  in  all  my  wealth.  I  pray  thee  (for  thou  art  my  dear  child), 
strive  to  be  a  father  and  a  lord  to  thy  people.  Be  thou  the  children's 
father,  and  the  widow's  friend.  Comfort  thou  the  poor,  and  shelter 
the  weak  ;  and  with  all  thy  might,  right  that  which  is  wrong.  And, 
Son,  govern  thyself  by  law;  then  shall  the  Lord  love  thee,  and  God, 
above  all  things,  shall  be  thy  reward.  Call  thou  upon  Him  to  advise 
thee  in  all  thy  need,  and  BO  shall  Ho  holp  thee  the  better  to  compass 
that  which  thou  wouldest."* 

GEORGE  WASHINGTON.— To  that  of  Alfred,  I  would 
fain  add  some  notice  of  another  ruler,  in  modern  times ; 
but  the  information  in  regard  to  his  earlier  years  is  still 
very  scanty  :  though,  so  far  as  it  goes,  it  tends  to  the 
confirmation  of  all  that  has  been  advanced.  I  refer  to  that 
extraordinary  man,  to  whom,  above  all  others,  America 
is  indebted,  at  this  moment,  for  all  her  civil  and  religious 
privileges.  The  close  of  his  public  life  may  be  taken  as 
a  specimen  of  what  must  have  preceded  it.  The  resigna- 
tion of  high  and  commanding  power,  but  a  few  years 
after  it  had,  in  a  great  degree,  by  a  man's  own  energy, 

*  See  Spelman's  Life,  and  the  History  of  the  Anglo-Saxons,  by 
Sharon  Turner  j  3d  edition.  A  most  interesting  work. 


THE  DOMESTIC  CONSTITUTION.  107 

been  acquired,  is  almost  singular  in  the  history  of  our 
species ;  but  the  manner  of  doing  so  will  mightily  con- 
tribute to  increase  our  admiration. 

"  The  acceptance  of,"  said  Washington,  in  his  farewell  address, 
"  and  continuance  hitherto  in  the  office  to  which  your  suffrages  have 
twice  called  rne,  have  been  a  uniform  sacrifice  of  inclination  to  the 
opinion  of  duty,  and  to  a  deference  for  what  appeared  to  be  your 
desire.  I  constantly  hoped,  that  it  would  have  been  much  earlier 
in  my  power,  consistently  with  motives,  which  I  was  not  at  liberty 
to  disregard,  to  return  to  that  retirement  from  which  I  had  been  re- 
luctantly drawn." "  The  impressions  with  which  1  first  under- 
took the  arduous  trust  were  explained  on  the  proper  occasion.  In 
the  discharge  of  this  trust,  I  will  only  say,  that  I  have,  with  good 
intentions,  contributed  towards  the  organization  and  administration 
of  the  Government,  the  best  exertions  of  which  a  very  fallible  judg- 
ment was  capable.  Not  unconscious,  in  the  outset,  of  the  inferiority 
of  my  qualifications,  experience,  in  my  own  eyes,  perhaps  still  more 
in  the  eyes  of  others,  has  strengthened  the  motives  to  diffidence  in 
myself ;  and  every  day  the  increasing  weight  of  years  admonishes 
me,  more  and  more,  that  the  shade  of  retirement  is  as  necessary  to 
me  as  it  will  be  welcome.  Satisfied  that  if  any  circumstances  have 
given  peculiar  value  to  my  services,  they  were  temporary,  I  have 
the  consolation  to  believe,  that  while  choice  and  prudence  invite  me 
to  quit  the  political  scene,  patriotism  does  not  forbid  it." 

Still  anxious,  in  the  highest  degree,  for  the  health  and 
prosperity  of  his  country,  he  then  tendered  much  faithful, 
and  sound,  and  solemn  advice,  of  which  the  following  is  a 
single  specimen  : 

"  Of  all  the  dispositions  and  habits  which  lead  to  political  pros- 
perity, religion  and  morality  are  indispensable  supports.  In  vain 
would  that  man  claim  the  tribute  of  patriotism,  who  should  labor 
to  subvert  these  great  pillars  of  human  happiness,  the  firmest  props 
of  men  and  citizens.  The  mere  politician,  equally  with  the  pious 
man,  ought  to  respect  and  to  cherish  them.  A  volume  could  not 
trace  all  their  connections  with  private  and  public  felicity.  Let  it 
be  simply  asked,  Where  is  the  security  for  property — for  reputation 
— for  life, — if  the  sense  of  religious  obligation  desert  the  oaths  which 
are  the  instruments  of  investigation  in  courts  of  justice?  And 
let  us  with  caution  indulge  the  supposition,  that  morality  can  be 
maintained  without  religion.  Whatever  may  be  conceded  to  the 


108  THE  MORAL  POWER  OF 

influence  of  refined  education  on  minds  of  peculiar  structure,  reason 
and  experience  both  forbid  us  to  expect,  that  national  morality  can 
prevail  in  exclusion  of  religious  principle.  It  is  substantially  true, 
that  virtue  or  morality  is  a  necessary  spring  of  popular  government. 
The  rule,  indeed,  extends  with  more  or  less  force  to  every  species  of 
free  government.  Who,  that  is  a  sincere  friend  to  it,  can  look  with 
indifference  on  attempts  to  shake  the  foundation  of  the  fabric?  Pro- 
mote, then,  as  an  object  of  primary  importance,  institutions  for  the 
general  diffusion  of  knowledge.  In  proportion  as  the  structure  of 
government  gives  force  to  public  opinion,  it  is  essential  that  public 
opinion  should  be  enlightened." 

To  that  retirement  to  which  he  had  looked  forward 
with  eager  desire,  Washington  was  now  about  to  with- 
draw ;  bat  before  bidding  his  adieu  to  Congress  forever, 
he  concluded  his  unprecedented  address  in  the  following 
terms : 

"  Though,  in  reviewing  the  incidents  of  administration,  I  am  un- 
conscious of  intentional  error,  I  am  nevertheless  too  sensible  of  my 
defects,  not  to  think  it  probable  that  I  may  have  committed  many 
errors.  Whatever  they  may  be,  I  fervently  beseech  the  ALMIGHTY 
to  avert  or  mitigate  the  evils  to  which  they  may  tend !  I  shall  also 
carry  with  me  the  hope,  that  my  country  will  never  cease  to  view 
them  with  indulgence ;  and  that,  after  forty-five  years  of  my  life 
dedicated  to  its  service,  with  an  upright  zeal,  the  faults  of  incom- 
petent abilities  will  be  consigned  to  oblivion,  as  myself  must  soon 
be  to  the  mansions  of  rest.  Relying  on  its  kindness  in  this  as  in 
other  things,  and  actuated  by  that  fervent  love  towards  it,  which  is 
so  natural  to  a  man  who  views  in  it  the  native  soil  of  himself  and 
his  progenitors  for  several  generations,  I  anticipate,  with  pleasing 
expectation,  that  retreat  in  which  I  promise  myself  to  realize,  without 
alloy,  the  sweet  enjoyment  of  partaking,  in  the  midst  of  my  fellow- 
citizens,  the  benign  influence  of  good  laws,  under  a  free  government, 
the  ever-favorite  object  of  my  heart,  and  the  happy  reward  as,  I 
trust,  of  our  mutual  cares,  and  labors,  and  dangers." 

In  witnessing  such  a  resignation  after  such  a  life, 
without  doubt  we  see  a  man,  in  this  his  retirement,  far 
greater  than  the  mightiest  conqueror  at  the  very  summit 
of  his  ambition,  since  it  requires  much  less  magnanimity 
to  win  the  conquest,  than  to  refuse  the  spoil. 


THE  DOMESTIC  CONSTITUTION.  1Q9 

Now,  in  tracing  this  character  to  its  origin  and  infancy, 
it  is  certain  that  his  Parents  enjoy  the  honor  of  having  so 
far  formed  it;  and,  but  for  maternal  tenderness,  it  is 
probable  that  we  should  scarcely  have  known  of  such  a 
man.  Under  the  eye  of  his  parents  he  was  reared  up 
from  infancy.  His  father  died  when  he  was  about  ten 
years  old;  and  from  the  language  employed,  his  watchful- 
ness over  his  son  may  be  inferred ;  for  we  are  informed 
that  "the  care  of  his  education  then  devolved  on  his 
mother."  It  was,  however,  but  a  few  years  after  this, 
when  he  discovered  a  strong  predilection  for  the  sea ;  and 
an  inferior  situation  on  board  of  ship  was  in  prospect, 
when  the  influence  of  a  Mother,  who  'had  paid  such  ju- 
dicious attention  to  this  her  child,  was  not  exerted  in  vain. 
The  place  was  actually  procured,  and,  but  for  her,  at  the 
age  of  fifteen,  he  had  become  merely  a  midshipman  in 
the  British  navy !  She  alone  prevented  a  step  which 
would  probably  have  changed  the  whole  course  of  his 
future  life ;  and  thus,  as  far  as  Washington's  influence  is 
granted,  to  the  judgment  and  bosom  of  a  single  parent, 
and  that  a  Mother  and  a  Widow,  may  the  present  political 
enjoyments,  and  the  future  usefulness  of  America  be 
traced ! 

The  course  of  Divine  Providence  has  often  been  com- 
pared to  a  chain  ;  but  there  is  one  peculiarity  in  this 
chain,  on  which  the  careful  observer,  in  every  age,  has 
gazed  with  pleasing  astonishment, — the  almost  impercep- 
tible minuteness  of  some  of  its  links,  compared  with  the 
vast  magnitude  of  others.  So  it  has  been  supposed,  if  a 
private  country  gentleman,  about  the  year  1730,  had  not 
been  overturned  in  his  carriage,  that  America,  instead  of 
being  as  at  this  moment,  might  have  continued  a  de- 
pendent colony  of  England.  This  country  gentleman 
happened  to  be  Augustine  Washington,  Esq.,  who  was 
10 


HQ  THE  MORAL  POWER  OF 

thus  providentially  thrown  into  the  company  of  a  lady, 
who  afterwards  became  his  wife,  and  the  envied  mother 
of  George  Washington  ! 

"  Just  so,  th'  Omnipotent  who  turns 
The  system  of  a  world's  concerns, 
From  mere  minutiae  can  educe 
Events  of  most  important  use." 

In  conclusion,  however,  I  cannot  help  remarking,  that 
one  secret  of  this  great  man's  successful  career  seems  to 
have  been  owing  to  his  tracing,  throughout  his  whole  life, 
in  such  an  exemplary  manner,  so  distinctly  and  so  fre- 
quently, all  the  incidents  in  the  American  struggle,  not  to 
human  instrumentality,  but  to  the  finger  of  Providence. 

SIR  WILLIAM  JONES. — In  point  of  talent  and  variety  of 
acquirements,  Sir  William  Jones  is  generally  allowed  to 
have  possessed  the  attributes  of  a  great  mind.  In  the  short 
space  of  forty-seven  years,  he  had  acquired  a  knowledge 
of  arts,  sciences,  and  languages,  which  has  seldom  been 
equalled,  and  scarcely,  if  ever,  surpassed.  As  a  philolo- 
gist, especially,  he  had  no  rival.  Among  eight  languages 
which  he  had  studied  critically,  are  found  the  first  of 
Eastern  as  well  as  Western  tongues.  Eight  more,  though 
he  had  studied  them  less  perfectly,  were  quite  intelligible 
with  a  dictionary ;  and  twelve  more,  though  studied  least 
perfectly,  were  to  him  all  attainable.  He  might  be  ac- 
quainted with  others,  but  the  number  here  distinctly 
specified,  in  a  private  memorandum  of  his  own,  is  twenty- 
eight  !  At  so  early  an  age  as  that  of  eighteen,  we  find 
him,  when  at  home,  of  which  he  was  very  fond,  reading 
the  best  authors  in  Italian,  Spanish,  and  Portuguese,  fol- 
lowing, in  all  respects,  the  plan  of  education  recommended 
by  Milton,  which  he  had  by  heart ;  and  thus,  to  use  his 


THE  DOMESTIC  CONSTITUTION.  H] 

own  words,  "  with  the  fortune  of  a  peasant,  giving  himself 
the  education  of  a  prince."  This  wonderful  man,  how- 
ever, actually  disdained  the  character  of  a  mere  linguist ; 
regarding  languages  as  nothing  more  than  the  keys  of 
learning,  which  qualified  him  to  unlock  the  literary  hoards 
of  ancient  and  modern  times.  His  profound  learning  he 
therefore  employed  in  elucidating  the  laws,  the  philosophy, 
and  opinions  of  most  nations.  He  died  at  the  early  age 
of  forty-seven  :  but  fourteen  years  before  this,  the  follow- 
ing memorandum,  in  his  own  handwriting,  will  explain 
the  purposes  to  which  he  intended  to  apply  his  learning ; 
"  Anno  JEii&t.  33.  Resolved  to  learn  no  more  rudiments 
of  any  kind,  but  to  perfect  myself  in  first  12  languages,  as 
the  means  of  acquiring  accurate  knowledge  of,  I.  Tf he 
HISTORY,  1.  of  Man  ;  2.  Nature.  II.  ARTS,  1.  Rheto- 
ric ;  2.  Poetry  ;  3.  Painting  ;  4.  Music.  III. — 1.  Law ; 
2.  Mathematics;  3.  Dialectick. — N.  B.  Every  species  of 
human  knowledge  may  be  reduced  to  one  or  other  of  these 
divisions.  Even  law  belongs  partly  to  the  history  of  man ; 
partly  as  a  science  to  dialectick.  The  twelve  languages 
are — Greek,  Latin,  Italian,  French,  Spanish,  Portuguese, 
Hebrew,  Arabic,  Persian,  Turkish,  German,  English." 

Many  disquisitions,  since  published,  were  the  fruit  of 
this  resolution ;  and  it  is  remarkable,  that  whether  they 
are  philological  or  philosophical,  chronological  or  botani- 
cal, they,  as  well  as  all  his  historical  researches,  not  only 
fix  the  attention  by  their  novelty,  their  depth,  and  their 
importance,  but  uniformly  delight  by  their  elegance  of 
diction. 

Viewed  in  connection  with  these  uncommon  literary 
acquirements,  there  were  several  moral  qualities  which 
have  not  failed  to  raise  the  man  as  much  as  the  scholar 
in  public  esteem.  Humility  or  condescension,  modesty, 
humanity,  and  unbending  integrity,  were  distinguishing 


112  THE  MORAL  POWER  OF 

traits  in  his  character.  The  first  of  these  was  displayed, 
we  are  informed,  in  "  the  candor  and  complacency  with 
which  he  gave  his  attention  to  all  persons  of  whatever 
quality,  talents,  or  education  ;  for  it  was  a  conclusion  and 
a  principle  with  him,  that  curious  and  important  informa- 
tion might  be  gained  even  from  the  illiterate ;  and  wher- 
ever it  was  to  be  found,  he  sought  and  seized  it."  For 
his  modesty,  I  would  only  refer  to  the  epitaph,  in  a  subse- 
quent page,  which  he  wrote  for  himself  but  a  short  time 
before  his  premature  dissolution ;  and  for  his  fine  consti- 
tutional humanity  one  proof  will  be  amply  sufficient.  One 
day,  when  addressing  the  Asiatic  Society  in  Bengal,  of 
which  he  was  the  origin  and  the  president,  when  he  came 
to  their  researches  into  the  animal  kingdom,  he  began  in 
the  following  style  : 

"  Could  the  figure,  instincts,  and  qualities  of  birds,  beasts,  insects, 
reptiles,  and  fish,  be  ascertained,  either  on  the  plan  of  Buffon,  or  on 
that  of  Linnaeus,  without  giving  pain  to  the  objects  of  our  examina- 
tion, few  studies  would  afford  us  more  solid  instruction,  or  more 
exquisite  delight ;  but  I  never  could  learn  by  what  right,  nor  con- 
ceive with  what  feelings,  a  naturalist  can  occasion  the  misery  of  an 
innocent  bird,  and  leave  its  young,  perhaps,  to  perish  in  a  cold  nest, 
because  it  has  gay  plumage,  and  has  never  been  accurately  de- 
lineated; or  deprive  even  a  butterfly  of  its  natural  enjoyments, 
because  it  has  the  misfortune  to  be  rare  or  beautiful :  nor  shall  I 
ever  forget  the  couplet  of  Fordausi,  for  which  Sadi,  who  cites  it 
with  applause,  pours  blessings  on  his  departed  spirit : 

Ah  !  spare  yon  emmet,  rich  in  hoarded  grain; 
He  lives  with  pleasure,  and  he  dies  with  pain. 

This  may  be  only  a  confession  of  weakness,  and  it  certainly  is 
not  meant  as  a  boast  of  peculiar  sensibility ;  but  whatever  name 
may  be  given  to  my  opinion,  it  has  such  an  effect  on  my  conduct, 
that  I  never  would  suffer  the  cocila,  whose  wild  native  wood-notes 
announce  the  approach  of  spring,  to  be  caught  in  my  garden,  for  the 
sake  of  comparing  it  with  Buffon's  description;  though  I  have  often 
examined  the  domestic  and  engaging  Mayana,  which  '  bids  us  good 


THE  DOMESTIC  CONSTITUTION.  H3 

morrow '  at  our  windows,  and  expects,  as  its  reward,  little  more  than 
security.  Even  when  a  fine  young  Manis  or  Pangolin  was  brought 
to  me,  against  my  wishes,  from  the  mountains,  I  solicited  his  resto- 
ration to  his  beloved  rocks,  because  I  found  it  impossible  to  preserve 
him  in  comfort  at  a  distance  from  them." 

Eleven  years  of  his  short  life  Sir  William  Jones  spent 
in  the  capacity  of  a  judge  at  Calcutta,  where  "  the  inflexi- 
ble integrity  with  which  he  discharged  the  solemn  duties 
of  this  station,  will  be  long  remembered  both  by  Euro- 
peans and  natives.  So  cautious  was  he  to  guard  the  in- 
dependence of  his  character  from  any  possibility  of  viola- 
tion or  imputation,  that  no  solicitation  could  prevail  upon 
him,  to  use  his  personal  influence  with  the  members  of 
administration  in  India,  to  advance  the  private  interests 
of  friends  whom  he  esteemed,  and  which  he  would  have 
been  happy  to  promote." 

All  that  has  already  been  said,  though  it  might  place 
this  individual  far  above  most  other  men,  would,  alas ! 
avail  but  little  or  nothing,  could  we  not  add  something 
more.  But  surely  our  esteem  for  such  a  man  cannot  fail 
to  rise  much  higher,  when  we  see  him,  after  a  dispassion- 
ate and  careful  examination  of  the  Sacred  Volume,  record 
his  sentiments  in  the  following  terms,  written  with  his 
own  hand,  on  the  leaf  at  the  end  of  his  Bible  : 

"  I  have  carefully  and  regularly  perused  these  Holy  Scriptures, 
and  am  of  opinion,  that  the  volume,  independently  of  its  divine 
origin,  contains  more  sublimity,  purer  morality,  more  important 
history,  and  finer  strains  of  eloquence,  than  can  be  collected  from 
all  other  books,  in  whatever  language  they  may  have  been  written." 

Nor  did  he  confine  these  sentiments  to  his  own  bosom, 
or  record  them  only  in  his  closet.  Upon  another  occa- 
sion, in  1791,  when  addressing  the  Asiatic  Society  of 
Bengal,  though*  theological  subjects  formed  no  part  of  the 
subject  immediately  before  him,  we  hear  him  saying, — 
10* 


114  THE  MORAL  POWER  OF 

"  I  cannot  refrain  from  adding,  that  the  collection  of  tracts,  which 
we  call,  from  their  excellence,  the  Scriptures,  contain,  independently 
of  a  divine  origin,  more  true  sublimity,  more  exquisite  beauty,  purer 
morality,  more  important  history,  and  finer  strains  of  poetry  and 
eloquence,  than  could  be  collected,  within  the  same  compass,  from 
all  other  books  that  were  composed  in  any  age,  or  in  any  idiom. 
The  two  parts  of  which  the  Scriptures  consist,  are  connected  by  a 
chain  of  compositions,  which  bear  no  resemblance,  in  form  or  style, 
to  any  that  can  be  produced  from  the  stores  of  Grecian,  Indian,  Per- 
sian, or  even  Arabian  learning ;  the  antiquity  of  those  compositions 
no  man  doubts ;  and  the  unstrained  application  of  them  to  events 
long  subsequent  to  their  publication,  is  a  solid  ground  of  belief  that 
they  were  genuine  compositions,  and  consequently  inspired" 

In  matters  of  eternal  concern,  the  authority  of  the 
highest  human  opinions  has  no  claim  to  be  admitted,  ex- 
cept as  it  may  be  opposed  to  that  of  men  of  inferior  learn- 
ing and  penetration  ;  and  even  after  these  sentiments,  so 
finely  expressed,  I  by  no  means  represent  him  as  equally 
eminent  for  Christianity,  in  the  proper  sense  of  the  word, 
as  he  was  for  other  attainments.  As  he  might  have  been 
so,  so  I  wish  he  had ;  but  in  early  life,  at  least,  he  was 
inclined  to  form  his  character  too  much  after  some  of  the 
ancient  Romans,  especially  Cicero ;  and  his  researches, 
too,  so  far  as  revealed  religion  is  concerned,  bring  him 
forward  mainly  as  a  witness  of  profound  acquirements 
against  the  unbeliever.  Few  men  in  our  world  can  ex- 
amine, and  analyze,  and  meet  the  learned,  though  frivo- 
lous, objections  of  the  skeptic  as  he  could  : 

'  A  man  who  could  foil,  at  their  own  play, 
A  thousand  would-be's  of  the  modern  day.' 

It  is,  however,  truly  gratifying,  and  in  no  common  de- 
gree, to  see  such  a  man  thus  explore  so  vastly,  and  then 
subscribe  with  his  hand  to  the  truth  of  the  sacred  record, 
as  well  as  publicly  attest  it  in  the  presence  of  men  so 
eminent  for  learning,  both  Asiatic  and  European.  It  is 


THE  DOMESTIC  CONSTITUTION.  H5 

equally  interesting  to  see  him  at  another  time  with  the 
records  of  unbelieving  nations  in  his  hand,  trace  back,  to 
the  very  spot  to  which  the  Scriptures  refer,  the  origin  of 
diverging  tribes  and  discordant  languages;  to  see  him 
correcting  their  contradictory  and  absurd  chronology,  by 
the  light  of  divine  revelation  ;  and  with  especial  reference 
to  those  Scriptures,  at  which  other  men,  though  eminent, 
but  of  inferior  attainment,  have  sneered,  to  hear  him, 
after  one  of  the  largest  surveys  which  has  perhaps  ever 
been  taken  by  one  man,  pronounce  them  to  be  the  very 
"Key  of  Knowledge." 

At  the  same  time,  while  the  learning  of  Sir  William 
Jones  certainly  gave  some  improper  tincture  to  his  reli- 
gion ;  on  the  other  hand,  his  views  on  that  subject  had 
such  great  power  as  even  to  sway  him  in  the  direction  of 
all  his  learned  investigations.  After  the  elucidation  and 
confirmation  of  divine  truth,  he  was  therefore,  in  mature 
life  especially,  often  in  pursuit ;  nay,  amidst  these  very 
researches,  one  can  see,  at  the  same  time,  that  the  state 
and  the  destiny  of  his  own  immortal  soul,  occupied  the 
grave  attention  of  his  retired  moments.  Nearly  ten  years 
before  his  dissolution,  in  1784,  we  find  him,  during  indis- 
position, using  the  following  prayer  : — "  O  thou  Bestower 
of  all  good  !  if  it  please  thee  to  continue  my  easy  tasks  in 
this  life,  grant  me  strength  to  perform  them  as  a  faithful 
servant ;  but  if  thy  wisdom  hath  willed  to  end  them  by 
this  thy  visitation,  admit  me,  not  weighing  my  unworthi- 
ness,  but  through  thy  mercy  declared  in  Christ,  into  thy 
heavenly  mansions,  that  I  may  continually  advance  in 
happiness,  by  advancing  in  true  knowledge  and  awful 
love  of  thee.  Thy  will  be  done  !  " 

These,  as  well  as  other  expressions,  uttered  in  private, 
certainly  give  additional  weight  to  his  avowed  opinions ; 
while,  as  an  appropriate  conclusion  to  this  very  imperfect 


116  THE  MORAL  POWER  OF 

sketch,  in  the  following  epitaph  it  will  be  seen  that  he  is 
modestly  silent  upon  all  his  intellectual  attainments  : 

"  Here  was  deposited 

the  mortal  part  of  a  man, 

who  feared  God,  but  not  death; 

and  maintained  independence, 

but  sought  not  riches  j 

who  thought 

none  below  him,  but  the  base  and  unjust, 
none  above  him,  but  the  wise  and  virtuous; 

who  loved 
his  parents,  kindred,  friends,  country, 

with  an  ardor 

which  was  the  chief  source  of 

all  his  pleasures  and  all  his  pains  j 

and  who,  having  devoted 

his  life  to  their  service, 

and  to 
the  improvement  of  his  mind, 

resigned  it  calmly, 

giving  glory  to  his  Creator, 

wishing  peace  on  earth, 

and  with 

good- will  to  all  creatures, 

on  the  [twenty-seventh]  day  of  [April,] 

in  the  year  of  our  blessed  Redeemer, 

one  thousand  seven  hundred  [and  ninety-four.']  "* 

Now,  to  whom  was  Sir  William  Jones  almost  exclu- 
sively indebted,  in  his  most  important,  because  his  earliest 
years,  for  all  his  future  eminence  ?  Who  was  it  that  bent 
the  twig,  or  taught  the  young  idea  how  to  shoot?  Who 
was  it,  that,  to  his  incessant  importunities  for  information 
on  casual  topics  of  conversation,  and  which  were  so  watch- 
fully stimulated,  used  then  kindly  and  constantly  to  reply, 
"Read,  and  you  will  know"  1  Who  was  it  that  culti- 
vated his  mind,  so  that,  in  his  fourth  year,  he  was  able  to 
read  any  English  book,  and  stored  his  mind  from  his  birth 

*  See  the  Life  of  Sir  William  Jones,  by  Lord  Teignmouth,  and 
the  Christian  Observer  for  1804,  vol.  iii. 


THE  DOMESTIC  CONSTITUTION.  117 

to  his  ninth  and  tenth  years?  When,  in  his  ninth  year, 
he  had  the  misfortune  to  break  his  thigh-bone,  which 
detained  him  at  home  more  than  a  year,  who  was  it  that 
was  his  constant  companion,  and  amused  him  daily  with 
the  perusal  of  such  English  books  as  were  adapted  to  his 
taste  and  capacity  ?  For  all  this,  and  much  more  than 
this,  we  are  referred  to  only  one  individual,  and  that  was 
his  dear  Mother  ;  an  extraordinary  woman,  then  a  solitary 
widow,  his  father  having  died  when  William  was  only  three 
years  old!  By  nature  Mrs.  Jones  possessed  a  strong 
understanding,  which  had  been  improved  by  her  husband's 
conversation  and  instruction, — an  eminent  mathematician, 
who  had  raised  himself,  by  his  own  industry,  till  he  was 
the  intimate  friend  of  Sir  Isaac  Newton  and  others. 
Under  the  tuition  of  her  husband,  Mrs.  Jones  became  a 
considerable  proficient  in  algebra;  and,  with  a  view  to 
qualify  herself  for  the  office  of  preceptor  to  her  sister's 
son,  who  was  destined  to  a  maritime  profession,  made 
herself  perfect  in  trigonometry,  and  the  theory  of  naviga- 
tion. After  the  death  of  her  husband,  she  was  urgently 
and  repeatedly  solicited,  by  the  Countess  of  Macclesfield, 
to  remain  at  Sherborn  Castle ;  but  having  formed  a  plan 
for  the  education  of  her  son,  with  an  unalterable  determi- 
nation to  pursue  it,  she  politely,  but  firmly,  declined  the 
invitation,  and  sat  down  to  her  work. 

With  regard  to  religious  instruction,  we  are  informed, 
that  she  had  taught  him  the  creed  and  the  ten  command- 
ments ;  but  one  effect  of  her  daily  maxim  is  too  remark- 
able to  be  passed  over  in  silence.  "  One  morning,  as  he 
was  turning  over  the  leaves  of  a  Bible,  in  his  mother's 
closet,  his  attention  was  forcibly  arrested  by  the  sublime 
description  of  the  angel,  in  the  tenth  chapter  of  Revela- 
tion ;  and  the  impression  which  his  imagination  received 
from  it  was  never  effaced.  At  a  period  of  mature  judg- 
ment, he  considered  the  passage  as  equal  in  sublimity  to 


118  THE  MORAL  POWER  OF 

any  in  the  inspired  writings,  and  far  superior  to  any  that 
could  be  produced  from  mere  human  compositions ;  and 
he  was  fond  of  retracing  and  mentioning  the  rapture 
which  he  felt  when  he  first  read  it.  This  remarkable 
incident  took  place  before  he  had  completed  hisjifth  year. 
In  one  word,  to  this  maxim  of  his  mother's,  "  Read,  and 
you  will  know,"  Sir  William  Jones  himself  "  always 
acknowledged  himself  indebted  for  all  his  future  attain- 
ments ;"  so  that,  while  it  has  been  asked,  "Who  can 
estimate  the  beneficial  purposes,  literary,  political,  and 
religious,  to  which  his  labors  may  hereafter  possibly  be 
applied  ? "  I  only  add,  at  the  same  moment,  let  not  the 
maternal  heart  and  hand,  which  trained  up  the  man  when 
yet  a  child,  ever  be  forgotten ! 

JOHN  MILTON. — Of  Milton's  greatness  of  mind,  it  is 
superfluous  here  to  say  one  word;  but  he  has  taken 
especial  care  that  posterity  should  know  to  whom  he  con- 
sidered himself  almost  entirely  indebted  for  all  his  emi- 
nence as  a  man  and  a  poet.  He  evidently  expected  to 
live  in  future  times,  at  least  in  his  own  country ;  and  in 
various  compositions,  especially  poetic,  aimed  after  some- 
thing which  he  thought  posterity  would  not  willingly  suffer 
to  perish.  In  prose,  however,  as  well  as  in  verse,  he 
resolved  that  he  should  so  stand  in  connection  with  his 
parents,  as,  if  possible,  to  animate  the  fathers  of  a  future 
age. 

His  father,  who  had  renounced  the  communion  of  the 
church  of  Rome,  and  thus  forfeited  the  favor  of  his 
parents,  and  all  his  earthly  prospects,  had  enjoyed,  not- 
withstanding, the  benefit  of  a  liberal  education  at  Oxford. 
He  was  particularly  distinguished  for  his  musical  abilities, 
and  is  said  to  have  been,  not  only  a  voluminous  composer, 
but  equal  in  science,  if  not  in  genius,  to  the  best  musicians 
of  his  age,  Disinherited  by  his  father,  he  began  business, 


THE  DOMESTIC  CONSTITUTION.  H9 

in  London,  as  a  scrivener ;  from  which,  in  consequence 
of  upright  and  assiduous  application,  he  retired,  in  com- 
fortable circumstances,  to  his  country-house,  at  Horton, 
near  Colnebrook,  in  Buckinghamshire. 

"  My  father,"  says  Milton,  "  was  a  man  of  the  highest  integrity; 
my  mother,  an  excellent  woman,  was  particularly  known  through- 
out the  neighborhood  for  her  charitable  donations.  My  father 
destined  me  from  a  child  for  the  pursuits  of  polite  learning,  which  I 
prosecuted  with  such  eagerness,  that,  after  I  was  twelve  years  old,  I 
rarely  retired  to  bed  from  my  lucubrations  till  midnight.  This  was 
the  first  thing  which  proved  pernicious  to  my  eyes,  to  the  natural 
weakness  of  which  were  added  frequent  headachs.  But  as  all  this 
could  not  abate  my  instinctive  ardor  for  learning,  he  provided  me, 
in  addition  to  the  ordinary  instructions  of  the  grammar-school,  with 
masters  to  give  me  daily  lessons  at  home.  Being  thus  instructed  in 
various  languages,  and  having  gotten  no  slight  taste  of  the  sweet- 
ness of  philosophy,  he  sent  me  to  Cambridge,  one  of  our  two  national 
colleges.  There,  aloof  from  all  profligate  conduct,  and  with  the  ap- 
probation of  all  good  men,  I  studied  seven  years,  according  to  the 
usual  course  of  discipline  and  of  scientific  instruction,  till  I  obtained, 
and  with  applause,  the  degree  of  master,  as  it  is  called;  when,  of 
my  own  free  will,  I  returned  home,  leaving  behind  me,  among  most 
of  the  fellows  of  the  college,  who  had  shown  me  no  ordinary  atten- 
tion, even  an  affectionate  regret.  At  my  father's  country-house,  to 
which  he  had  retired  to  pass  the  remainder  of  his  days,  being  per- 
fectly at  my  ease,  I  gave  myself  up  entirely  to  reading  the  Greek 
and  Latin  writers ;  exchanging,  however,  sometimes,  the  country 
for  the  town,  either  for  the  purchase  of  books,  or  to  learn  something 
new  in  the  mathematics,  or  in  music,  which  at  that  time  furnished 
the  sources  of  my  amusement.  After  passing  five  years  in  this  way, 
I  had  the  curiosity,  after  the  death  of  my  mother,  to  see  foreign 
countries,  and  above  all  Italy ;  and  having  obtained  permission  of 
my  father,  [observe  how  he  speaks  of  him  even  at  this  age !]  I  set 
out,  attended  by  one  servant." 

These  five  years  were  among  the  most  important  as 
well  as  the  happiest  in  Milton's  life.  There  the  father 
vigilantly  still  watched  over  his  son,  prompting  and  ad- 
vising him  in  all  his  pursuits ;  and  there  this  son  com- 
posed several  of  his  finest  minor  poems.  Some  of  his 


120  THE  MORAL  POWER  OF 

college  companions  seemed  to  have  imagined  that  he 
was  losing  his  time  in  thus  retiring  again  to  the  roof 
of  his  parent  in  the  country ;  but  Milton  thought  very 
differently. 

Distinguished  as  he  was  in  early  life  for  several  very 
strong  personal  attachments  to  his  companions  in  study, 
they  could  not  draw  him  from  his  retreat.  To  one  of 
these,  Charles  Diodati,  whose  early  death  he  lamented  so 
deeply,  and,  on  returning  from  Italy,  celebrated  with  so 
much  tenderness,  he  says,  in  reference  to  this  residence 
with  his  parents, 

"If  peaceful  days,  in  letter'd  leisure  spent, 
Beneath  my  Father's  roof,  be  banishment, 
Then  call  me  banish'd,  I  will  ne'er  refuse 
A  name  expressive  of  the  lot  I  chuse. 
I  would,  that,  exil'd  to  the  Pontic  shore, 
Rome's  hapless  bard  had  suffer'd  nothing  more, 
He  then  had  equall'd  even  Homer's  lays, 
And  Virgil !  thou  hadst  won  but  second  praise ; 
For  here  I  woo  the  muse ;  with  no  control  : 
And  here  my  books — my  life — absorb  me  whole." 

His  employments  here  have  already  been  detailed  in 
prose ;  and  if  the  reader  wishes  for  additional  information 
in  poetry,  Milton  himself  will  give  it.  He  is  again  ad- 
dressing his  friend  Diodati : 

"  Would st  thou,  perhaps  'tis  hardly  worth  thine  ear, 
Wouldst  thou  be  told  my  occupation  here  ? 
The  promis'd  King  of  Peace  employs  my  pen  ; 
Th'  eternal  cov'nant  made  for  guilty  men; 
The  new-born  Deity,  with  infant  cries 
Filling  the  sordid  hovel  where  he  lies ; 
The  hymning  angels,  and  the  herald  star 
That  led  the  wise,  who  sought  him  from  afar; 
And  idols,  on  their  own  unhallow'd  shore, 
Dash'd,  at  his  birth,  to  be  rever'd  no  more  !* 

*  Oh !  would  that  Milton  had  never  dictated  any  sentiments  in- 
consistent with  these  beautiful  lines,  as  well  as  other  passages  in 
his  prose  writings  !  He,  however,  as  well  as  a  few  others,  it  will 
be  remembered,  are  introduced  here,  not  as  patterns  of  scriptural 
sentiment,  but  as  specimens  of  mental  greatness. 


THE  DOMESTIC  CONSTITUTION. 


This  theme  on  reeds  of  Albion  I  rehearse  : 


The  dawn  of  that  blest  day  inspir'd  the  verse ; 
Verse  that,  reserved  in  secret,  shall  attend 
Thy  candid  voice,  my  critic  and  my  friend ! " 

Milton's  parents  had  destined  him  for  the  ministry, — an 
idea  in  which  he  himself  once  indulged.  This  destina- 
tion of  his  parents  probably  accounts  for  the  tender  and 
judicious  caution  of  his  father,  in  regard  to  the  danger  of 
his  cultivating  to  excess  his  poetic  genius;  but,  at  all 
events,  it  is  to  this  parental  caution  that  we  are  indebted 
for  one  of  the  finest  poetical  effusions  of  filial  piety  in 
existence : 

"  Oh!  that  Pieria's  spring  would,  through  my  breast, 
Pour  its  inspiring  influence,  and  rush 
No  rill,  but  rather  an  o'erflowing  flood  ! 
That,  for  my  venerable  Father's  sake, 
All  meaner  themes  renounc'd,  my  muse,  on  wings 
Of  duty  borne,  might  reach  a  loftier  strain. 
For  thee,  my  Father  !  howsoe'er  it  please, 
She  frames  this  slender  work,  nor  know  I  aught 
That  may  thy  gifts  more  suitably  requite  ; 
Though  to  requite  them  suitably  would  ask 
Returns  much  nobler,  and  surpassing  far 
The  meagre  stores  of  verbal  gratitude  : 
But,  such  as  I  possess,  I  send  thee  all." 

From  the  closing  passage  of  this  beautiful  Latin  poem, 
translated  by  Cowper,  it  will  be  seen  that  both  the  chil- 
dren and  parents  of  other  days  were  in  the  eye  of  the 
poet: 

"  But  thou  !  my  Father,  since  to  render  thanks 
Equivalent,  and  to  requite  by  deeds 
Thy  liberality,  exceeds  my  power ; 
Suffice  it,  that  I  thus  record  thy  gifts, 
And  bear  them  treasur'd  in  a  grateful  mind ! 
Ye,  too,  the  favorite  pastime  of  my  youth, 
My  voluntary  numbers,  if  ye  dare 
To  hope  longevity ;  and  to  survive 
Your  master's  funeral,  not  soon  absorb'd 
11 


THE  MORAL  POWER  OF 

In  the  oblivious  Lethsean  gulf, 

Shall  to  futurity  perhaps  convey 

This  theme ;  and  by  these  praises  of  my  sire 

Improve  the  Fathers  of  a  distant  age!  " 

"  Such  productions  of  true  genius,"  says  Wharton, 
"  with  a  natural  and  noble  consciousness,  anticipating  its 
own  immortality,  are  seldom  found  to  fail."  To  conclude, 
however,  this  imperfect  sketch,  if  there  are  any  lines  in 
this  poem  more  touching  and  sublime  than  any  which 
have  been  quoted,  they  will  be  found  in  the  anticipation 
of  such  a  son  uniting  in  praise  with  such  a  father  in  a 
brighter  and  a  better  world  : 

"  We  too,  ourselves,  what  time  we  seek  again 
Our  native  skies,  and  one  eternal  now 
Shall  be  the  only  measure  of  our  being, 
Crown'd  all  with  gold,  and  chanting  to  the  lyre 
Harmonious  verse,  shall  range  the  courts  above, 
And  make  the  starry  firmament  resound." 

Such  were  the  expressions  of  filial  obligation  by  a  man, 
who  has  been  styled,  by  Sir  William  Jones,  "  the  most 
perfect  scholar  as  well  as  the  sublimest  poet  that  our 
country  ever  produced." 

BOERHAAVE. — -Though  of  but  a  delicate  constitution  of 
body,  this  was  one  of  those  men  who  seem  to  think 
nothing  worthy  of  their  efforts,  but  what  appears  insur- 
mountable to  common  understandings.  He  has  been 
celebrated  chiefly  as  a  physician  :  he  was,  however,  not 
only  eminently  skilled  in  history  and  genealogy,  and  versed 
in  Latin,  Greek,  and  Hebrew,  but  his  diligent  employ- 
ment, and  delight  for  years,  consisted  in  reading  the 
Sacred  Scriptures  in  their  original  languages  ;  he  added 
physic  to  divinity,  chemistry  to  the  mathematics,  and 
anatomy  to  botany  ;  and  to  all  these,  various  branches  of 
polite  literature,  He  examined  systems  by  experiment, 
and  formed  experiments  into  systems  :  he  examined  the 


THE  DOMESTIC  CONSTITUTION.  ]23 

opinions  of  other  men,  but  trusted  only  to  his  own.  His 
all  he  had  expended  on  his  education  ;  when  he  afterwards 
amassed  great  wealth  ;  but  his  charities  were  very  ex- 
tensive. Known  over  all  Europe,  he  received  visits  from 
three  sovereigns,— the  Grand  Duke  of  Tuscany,  William 
the  Third,  and  Peter  the  Great ;  the  last  of  whom  slept 
in  his  barge  all  night,  before  the  house  of  the  professor, 
that  he  might  enjoy  two  hours  of  conversation  with  him 
early  in  the  morning.  Nor  was  his  celebrity,  especially 
as  a  physician,  confined  to  Europe.  A  Chinese  mandarin, 
anxious  to  obtain  his  advice,  is  said  to  have  addressed 
his  letter  "  To  the  illustrious  Boerhaave,  Physician  in 
Europe,"  which  was  safely  delivered.  Amidst  all  this, 
Boerhaave  was  conspicuous  for  humility,  amiable  temper, 
and  habitual  piety.  He  it  was  who  often  said,  when  he 
heard  of  a  criminal  condemned  to  die,  "  Who  can  tell 
whether  this  man  is  not  better  than  1 1  or  if  I  am  better, 
it  is  not  to  be  ascribed  to  myself,  but  to  the  goodness  of 
God."  Being  once  asked  by  a  friend,  who  had  admired 
his  patience  under  great  provocations,  whether  he  knew 
what  it  was  to  be  angry  ?  he  answered,  with  the  utmost 
frankness  and  sincerity,  that  he  was  naturally  quick  of 
resentment ;  but  that  he  had,  by  daily  prayer  and  medita- 
tion, at  length  attained  to  this  mastery  over  himself;  and 
often  would  he  affirm,  that  a  strict  obedience  to  the  doc- 
trine, and  a  diligent  imitation  of  the  example  of  our 
blessed  Lord,  was  the  only  foundation  of  true  and  lasting 
tranquillity.  In  perfect  harmony  with  these  frequent 
affirmations,  as  soon  as  this  man  rose  in  the  morning,  it 
was,  throughout  his  whole  life,  his  daily  practice,  to  retire 
for  an  hour  to  private  prayer  and  meditation.  This,  he  said, 
gave  him  spirit  and  vigor  in  all  the  business  of  the  day, 
and  this  he  therefore  used  to  commend  as  a  rule  of  life. 
In  one  word,  so  far  was  Boerhaave  from  being  made 
impious  by  philosophy,  or  vain  by  knowledge,  that  he 


124  THE  MORAL  POWER  OF 

ascribed  all  his  abilities  to  the  bounty,  and  all  his  piety  to 
the  grace  of  God. 

Now,  to  whom,  under  God,  do  we  stand  indebted  for 
such  a  character  ?  His  eminence  as  a  physician  has  been 
remarked ;  and  for  this,  although  his  choice  was  finally 
decided  by  a  successful  cure  which  he  performed  on  him- 
self, and  the  effect  of  very  cruel  and  unjust  scandal 
thrown  on  his  character,  as  if  he  favored  infidel  principles, 
when  he  was  actually  about  to  combat  them,  yet  he  has 
been  supposed  to  have  derived  an  hereditary  inclination  to 
the  study  of  physic  from  his  Mother.  She,  however,  died 
when  he  was  young;  and  whatever  may  be  said  of  this 
conjecture,  his  other  attainments  formed  the  basis  of  his 
character  when  living,  and  his  Christianity  alone  remains 
of  value  to  him  now.  That  he  regarded  Christianity  as 
.infinitely  superior  to  every  branch  of  knowledge  or  sci- 
ence, is  evident  from  his  determination  when  resolved  to 
pursue  medicine  for  his  livelihood ;  for  even  then  he  still 
intended  to  make  Christianity  the  great  employment  of 
his  life.  The  truth  is,  that  his  profound  admiration  of 
the  Scriptures,  as  well  as  his  delight  in  reading  them,  was 
owing  to  his  father,  a  good  man,  having  intended  him  for 
the  ministry,  in  which  he  was  himself  engaged.  He 
instructed  him  in  grammar  and  the  first  elements  of 
language,  and  the  son  continued  under  the  father's  eye 
and  instructions  until  his  fourteenth  year.  Boerhaave 
was  distinguished  as  a  botanist ;  and  here  also  we  recog- 
nize the  influence  of  a  Father,  who,  to  preserve  his  but 
too  delicate  constitution,  used  to  send  him  out  into  the 
fields,  and  employ  him  in  rural  occupations.  His  father 
wished  to  blend  the  active  with  the  contemplative,  and 
thus  saved  his  son  from  those  distempers  and  depressions 
which  are  too  frequently  the  result  of  indiscreet  diligence, 
and  uninterrupted  application  to  study.* 

*  See  the  Life  of  Boerhaave,  by  Dr.  Samuel  Johnsoru 


THE  DOMESTIC  CONSTITUTION.  135 

SIR  CHARLES  LINNAEUS  is  universally  known  as  the 
author  of  a  revolution  in  the  study  of  nature,  by  an  entire 
new  classification  and  nomenclature  of  her  three  principal 
kingdoms ;  for,  though  his  theory  involved  him  in  contro- 
versy with  the  most  ingenious  philosophers  of  the  age,  he 
finally  received  from  them  all,  the  profoundest  testimonials 
of  their  conversion  to  his  opinions,  and  their  deference 
for  his  genius.  Not  less  than  three  thousand  letters,  from 
celebrated  persons  of  all  nations,  were  found  after  his 
decease  among  his  papers,  expressive  of  the  regard  and 
admiration  of  the  writers.  The  most  brilliant  period  in 
the  life  of  this  ardent  student  of  Nature,  was  spent  at 
Upsal,  in  Sweden,  where,  amidst  the  beauties  of  one  of 
the  most  flourishing  botanic  gardens  in  Europe,  and  daily 
improving  it,  he  used  to  deliver  lectures  on  his  favorite 
pursuit.  "  The  lectures,  which  had  been,  until  the  time 
of  Linnaeus,  a  mere  matter  of  form,  became,  under  the 
charms  of  his  eloquence,  a  subject  of  national  interest. 
The  hall  was  crowded  while  he  delivered  them.  His 
discourses  embraced  botany,  natural  history,  the  medicinal 
virtues  of  plants,  the  materia  medica,  and  nosology.  He 
made  excursions  in  the  summer,  at  the  head  of  two 
hundred  pupils,  besides  many  foreigners  and  persons  of 
distinction.  They  set  out  in  small  parties  to  explore  the 
country ;  and  whenever  any  rare  plant  or  natural  curiosity 
was  discovered,  a  signal  was  given  with  a  horn  or  trumpet, 
when  the  whole  corps  joined  their  chief,  to  hear  his  dem- 
onstrations and  remarks.  They  used  to  return  with  their 
hats  adorned  with  flowers,  and  the  sound  of  musical  in- 
struments. The  inhabitants  were  always  pleased  to  see 
them  come  back  in  this  style  of  innocent  triumph ;  and 
to  such  delightful  rambles,  many  of  the  young  men  were 
indebted  at  once  for  increasing  their  intellectual  stores, 
and  preserving  them  from  the  degrading  and  debasing 
haunts  of  dissipation  and  folly.  At  that  time  all  the 
11* 


126  THE  MORAL  POWER  OF 

young  students  of  divinity  were  obliged  to  learn  the 
elements  of  botany  and  domestic  medicine,  in  order  that 
they  might  be  enabled  to  administer  to  the  bodily  afflic- 
tions of  their  flocks,  in  remote  districts,  where  regular 
medical  assistance  might  not  be  attainable  in  a  moment 
of  emergency ;  and  the  number  of  Linnseus's  pupils  and 
admirers  was  greatly  increased  in  consequence  of  this 
wise  and  humane  regulation." 

The  mind  of  Linnaeus  was  not,  however,  to  be  confined 
even  to  the  varied  productions  of  his  garden.  Under  him 
the  first  Royal  Museums  were  established  in  Sweden ; 
both  the  king  and  queen  being  devoted  to  the  sciences  in 
general,  though  above  all  to  natural  history.  The  king, 
therefore,  caused  every  remarkable  curiosity  in  the  king- 
dom to  be  shown  to  Linnaeus,  in  order  that  he  might 
describe  it  from  his  own  observation.  Still  the  garden 
occupied  him  chiefly,  and  as  a  specimen  of  the  ardor  with 
which  he  pursued  his  studies,  though  in  a  declining  state 
of  health,  I  may  mention  the  following  : 

"  The  seed  of  the  Lotus  Ornithopodioides  had  been  sent  to  him  by 
Professor  De  Sauvages  from  Montpelier.  It  prospered  and  bore 
two  flowers.  Delighted  with  them,  he  recommended  them  to  the 
strictest  care  of  the  gardener ;  and  two  days  after,  returning  home 
late  in  the  evening,  he  immediately  went  into  the  garden  to  look  at 
them,  but  they  were  not  to  be  found.  The  next  night  he  went 
again:  they  were  still  invisible.  The  next  morning  they  appeared 
as  usual ;  but  the  gardener  thought  they  were  fresh  ones,  as  there 
was  not  any  to  be  found  the  evening  before.  Linnaeus  pondered 
over  the  circumstance,  and  went  again  the  same  evening,  intent  on 
solving  the  mystery  :  they  had  again  vanished ;  but,  searching  more 
closely  for  the  fugitives  than  he  had  hitherto  done,  he  at  last  found 
them  closely  folded  up,  and  their  leaves  contracted  over  them.  To 
a  mind  inquisitive  as  that  of  Linnseus's,  this  discovery  was  enough 
to  awaken  a  new  train  of  ideas.  Intent  on  surprising  Nature  in  her 
most  secret  operations,  he  might  now  be  seen  perambulating  the 
garden,  and  the  hot-houses,  in  the  dead  of  the  night,  with  a  lant- 
ern in  his  hand ;  and  constantly  finding  the  vegetable  creation  in  a 
dormant  state,  their  flowers  concealed,  and  their  leaves  contracted 


THE  DOMESTIC  CONSTITUTION.  127 

round  them,  he  formed  his  theory  of  the  sleep  of  plants,  and  proved 
that  it  took  place  at  regular  intervals,  like  that  of  animals.  This 
discovery  enabled  him  likewise  to  form  a  vegetable  time-piece, 
wherein  the  hours  of  the  day  were  marked  by  the  different  periods 
at  which  certain  flowers  began  to  close  their  blossoms ;  and  in  the 
same  manner  he  framed  a  rural  calendar  for  the  regulation  of  the 
labors  of  husbandry,  according  to  the  appearance  of  the  blossom  of 
plants  at  stated  intervals. 

"  Such  were  the  ingenious  occupations  with  which  Linnaeus  di- 
versified his  more  assiduous  studies,  while  the  garden,  and  its  varied 
productions,  engaged  the  strength  of  his  mind.  '  There,'  he  said  in 
a  speech  which  he  delivered  from  the  professor's  chair,  on  the  anni- 
versary of  the  King  of  Sweden's  birth-day,  in  1752 ;  '  there  I  receive 
and  impart  instruction  !  There  I  admire  the  wisdom  of  the  Creator, 
which  manifests  itself  in  so  many  various  modes;  and  there  I  de- 
monstrate it  to  others.'  '* 

The  greatness  of  his  mind  will,  however,  not  be  un- 
derstood, except  it  be  observed  when  struggling  for  exer- 
tion under  the  pressure  of  poverty.  At  one  period,  "  too 
honest  to  avail  himself  to  any  considerable  degree  of 
credit,  which  he  might  not  be  able  to  redeem,  and  too 
just  to  ask  that  farther  assistance  from  his  Father  which 
he  knew  must  injure  the  younger  branches  of  his  family, 
Linnaeus  submitted  to  the  greatest  privations  with  cheer- 
fulness. His  countrymen  and  fellow-students,  admiring 
his  genius  and  respecting  his  fortitude,  frequently  minis- 
tered to  his  wants,  which  were  so  urgent,  that  he  was 
forced,  not  only  often  to  accept  a  meal  from  their  kind- 
ness, but  was  glad  to  recruit  his  wardrobe  with  their  cast- 
off  clothes.  He  could  not  even  afford  to  pay  a  cobbler 
for  mending  the  old  shoes  which  he  was  constrained  to 
accept  of  his  companions,  or  to  go  barefooted  on  the 
excursions  where,  amidst  the  treasures  and  delights  of 
nature,  all  recollections  of  his  own  difficulties  and  anxie- 
ties vanished  like  a  painful  dream.  To  have  seen  him 
lining  his  worn-out  shoes,  as  he  frequently  did,  with  strong 
paper,  and  stitching  the  soles  afresh,  with  thread  formed 


128  THE  MORAL  POWER  OF 

of  the  bark  of  trees,  it  would  have  appeared  as  if  he 
actually  must  have  taken  up  the  humble  occupation  for 
which  his  Father  had  once  designed  him, — that  of  a 
shoemaker;  but  the  mind  that  can  bear,  without  com- 
plaint, the  hardships  of  poverty,  almost  invariably  extri- 
cates itself  at  last  from  its  disadvantages."  So  Linnaeus 
lived  to  offer  up  his  solemn  thanks  to  God,  in  the  Instal- 
lation-speech which  he  made  in  1741,  when  entering  on 
his  office  of  professor,  for  the  sustaining  mercy  which  had 
enabled  him  to  bear  up  under  the  most  trying  circum- 
stances of  want  and  disappointment. 

These  few  particulars,  illustrative  of  the  character  and 
attainments  of  this  extraordinary  man,  have  been  intro- 
duced, only  with  the  view  of  directing  the  reader's  atten- 
tion to  the  rise  and  origin  of  so  much  eminence  in  the 
delightful  walk  of  Nature. 

Charles  Linnaeus  was  born  on  the  13th  of  May,  1707, 
at  Rashult,  a  village  in  the  province  of  Smaland,  in 
Sweden.  "  His  ancestors  were  peasants ;  but,  by  gradual 
refinement  in  their  ideas,  being  induced  to  leave  the 
plough,  they  relinquished  their  original  name  with  their 
primitive  occupation ;  and,  in  conformity  with  a  pleasing 
custom  in  Sweden,  of  choosing  fresh  appellations,  on  any 
particular  occasion,  from  natural  objects,  took  the  name 
of  Lindelius,  Tiliander  (Linden-tree-man),  from  a  lofty 
Linden-tree,  which  stood,  and  continued  to  flourish,  till 
within  a  few  years,  in  the  vicinity  of  their  native  place. 
The  Father  of  Charles  Linnaeus  was  the  pastor  of  the 
village ;  and,  being  passionately  fond  of  gardening,  he 
followed  the  example  of  his  kindred,  in  borrowing  from 
the  same  tree  a  name,  which  his  son  has  rendered  familiar 
to  the  ear  in  every  quarter  of  the  civilized  globe.  The 
love  of  plants  and  flowers  in  the  elder  Linnaeus  was  in- 
creased by  his  obtaining,  about  a  year  after  the  birth  of 
his  son,  the  living  of  Stenbrohult,  which  had  the  advan- 


THE  DOMESTIC  CONSTITUTION.  129 

tage  of  an  extensive  and  good  garden  annexed  to  the 
house.  This  garden  he  soon  rendered  the  finest  in  the 
whole  district,  enriching  it  with  upwards  of  four  hundred 
species  of  flowers,  many  of  them  of  foreign  growth  and 
great  rarity.  Thus  were  the  infant  steps  of  young  Lin- 
naeus guided  by  his  father's  hand,  amid 

"  Queen  lilies,  and  the  painted  populace, 
Who  dwell  in  fields,  and  lead  ambrosial  lives." 

At  eight  years  of  age,  he  had  a  separate  plot  of  ground 
assigned  him  by  his  Father,  which  was  dignified  with  the 
name  of  "  Charles's  garden ; "  and  many  an  excursion 
did  he  make  to  the  neighboring  woods  and  meadows,  for 
plants  and  flowers,  wild  herbs  and  weeds,  wherewith  to 
increase  its  stores.  He  even  colonized  it  with  wild  bees 
and  wasps;  but  their  hostile  demeanor,  threatening  the 
safety  of  the  paternal  hives,  and  his  poor  weeds  verifying 
the  old  proverb  of  thriving  apace,  he  was  forced  occa- 
sionally to  submit  his  little  domain  to  the  more  discrimi- 
nating eye  and  experienced  hand  of  his  Father. 

The  allotment  of  a  piece  of  garden-ground  to  Charles 
was,  however,  rather  an  advanced  step  in  the  influence 
which  his  Father's  love  for  nature  had  exercised  over  him. 
Before  he  was  well  out  of  his  Mother's  arms,  this  influ- 
ence was  observable  ;  but  the  bent  of  his  mind  was  first 
decidedly  displayed  on  the  following  occasion.  "He  was 
scarcely  four  years  of  age,  when  he  accompanied  his 
Father  one  day  to  a  feast  at  Mohlen  ;  and,  in  the  evening, 
it  being  a  very  pleasant  season  of  the  year,  the  guests 
seated  themselves  on  some  flowery  turf,  listening  to  the 
pastor,  who  made  various  remarks  on  the  names  and 
properties  of  the  plants,  showing  them  the  roots  of  the 
Succisa,  Tormentilla,  Orchides,  &c.  The  child  paid 
the  most  uninterrupted  attention  to  all  he  saw  and  heard, 
and  from  that  hour  never  ceased  harassing  his  Father 


130  THE  MORAL  POWER  OF 

with  questions  about  the  name,  the  quality,  and  the  nature 
of  every  plant  he  met  with."  Being  so  very  young,  the 
names  of  plants  he  found  it  most  difficult  to  retain,  so  that 
his  Father,  submitting  to  far  more  than  any  instructor  in 
natural  history  ever  would,  had  to  tell  at  many  a  call  "the 
story  ten  times  told."  At  last,  in  return  for  his  informing 
his  child  of  the  name  of  any  plant  or  flower,  the  Father 
exacted  from  him  a  promise  that  he  would  endeavor  to 
remember  it ;  and  thus  did  he  lay  the  foundation  of  that 
eminence  to  which  his  son  arrived,  who,  whatever  were 
his  failings,  certainly  proved  the  most  enthusiastic  lover  of 
nature,  and  the  most  indefatigable  inquirer  into  her  pro- 
ductions, that  perhaps  ever  adorned  the  annals  of  that 
science.* 

PASCAL. — Pascal  is  generally  regarded  as  an  extraordi- 
nary character,  inheriting  from  nature  all  the  powers  of 
genius.  "  He  was  a  geometrician  of  the  first  rank,  a  pro- 
found reasoner,  a  sublime  and  elegant  writer."  Though 
oppressed  by  continual  infirmities  ;  not  having  passed  a 
day  without  pain  during  twenty-one  years  of  the  thirty- 
nine  that  he  lived  ;  if  we  consider  that  "  he  invented  a 
curious  arithmetical  machine,  the  elements  of  the  calcula- 
tion of  chances,  and  the  methods  of  resolving  various 
problems  respecting  the  cycloid  ;  that  he  fixed  the  waver- 
ing opinions  of  the  learned  respecting  the  weight  of  the 
atmosphere  ;  that  he  wrote  one  of  the  most  perfect  works 
existing  in  the  French  language ;  and  that  in  his 
' Thoughts'  there  are  passages,  the  depth  and  beauty  of 
which  are  incomparable  ;  we  can  hardly  believe  that  a 
greater  genius  ever  existed  in  any  age  or  nation.  All 
those  who  had  occasion  to  be  with  him  in  the  ordinary 

*  See  Triumphs  of  Genius  and  Perseverance,  by  Eliz.  Strutt, 
1826  ;  and  Pulteney's  View  of  the  Writings  of  Linnaeus,  with  Life, 
fry  Dr.  Maton,  1805. 


THE  DOMESTIC  CONSTITUTION.  131 

commerce  of  the  world,  acknowledged  his  superiority ; 
but  it  excited  no  envy  against  him,  as  he  was  never  fond 
of  showing  it.  His  conversation  instructed,  without  ex- 
citing, in  those  who  heard  it,  a  mortifying  sense  of  their 
own  inferiority  ;  and  he  was  remarkably  indulgent  towards 
the  faults  of  others;  excepting,  that,  as  he  was  particularly 
careful  to  repress  in  himself  the  passion  of  self-love,  he 
could  with  difficulty  observe  the  marks  of  it  in  others 
without  reproving  them.  On  this  subject  he  used  to 
declare,  "  that  a  worthy  man  should  avoid  naming  him- 
self; that  Christian  piety  annihilates  the  worldly  me  ;  and 
that  worldly  civility  hides  and  suppresses  it."* 

Now,  as  Pascal  was  the  subject  of  such  delicacy  and 
disease,  and  lost  his  Mother  when  he  was  only  three  years 
old,  we  might  never  have  heard  of  him,  or  read  his 
writings,  but  for  his  amiable  and  judicious  Father.  This 
Father,  an  excellent  scholar  and  able  mathematician,  who, 
during  the  short  period  of  his  married  life,  had  been 
assisted  by  his  amiable  wife  in  the  duties  of  educating 
their  family,  upon  her  decease  determined  to  take  upon 
himself  the  whole  charge  of  his  son's  education,  and  that 
of  two  sisters,  one  older,  and  the  other  two  years  younger, 
than  Pascal.  In  pursuance  of  this  design,  the  duties  of  a 
public  station,  first  President  of  the  Court  of  Aids,  he 
resigned  in  favor  of  his  brother,  and  in  1631  removed  to 
Paris.  Books  of  every  description  being  here  easily  pro- 
cured, he  determined  that  his  son  should  enjoy  every 
advantage  which  these  could  afford.  He  sent  him  to  no 
college  ;  but,  at  home,  himself,  instructed  him  in  logic, 
natural  philosophy,  and  other  branches.  When  young 
Pascal  had  reached  his  24th  year,  though  his  passion  for 
mathematics  remained,  and  would  show  itself  occasionally, 
his  attention  was  drawn  to  the  subject  of  religion  during 

*  Bossu. 


132  THE  MORAL  POWER  OF 

the  time,  or  immediately  after  an  attack  of  paralysis,  which 
deprived  him  for  three  months  of  the  use  of  both  his  limbs. 
In  process  of  time  his  impressions  and  researches  termi- 
nating in  an  assured  persuasion  of  the  truth  of  Chris- 
tianity, as  revealed  in  Scripture,  the  last  eight  or  ten  years 
of  his  short  life  were  spent  in  studying  the  sacred  volume 
with  profound  delight.  Some  of  the  peculiarities  of  his 
church,  as  a  Catholic,  he  might  carry  with  him  to  the 
grave;  but  his  "Thoughts  on  Religion"  will  continue  to 
be  read  with  pleasure  and  profit  too  by  Christians  of  every 
denomination. 

Little  did  his  Father  think,  when  removing  to  Paris, 
and  afterwards  watching  over  the  education  of  his  son 
with  such  laudable  assiduity,  that  this  son  would  one  day 
more  than  repay  him  for  all  his  kindness  ;  but  so  it  was. 
The  influence  of  Pascal's  religious  principles  and  charac- 
ter was  very  powerful.  It  prevailed  with  many,  and  was 
most  affectingly  acknowledged  even  by  his  beloved  Parent. 
That  same  Father,  who  had  been  so  bent  on  unfolding  to 
his  Child  the  ample  field  of  literary  and  scientific  know- 
ledge, at  last  overcome  by  the  still  more  powerful  influ- 
ence which  divine  truth  had  produced  on  the  soul  of  his 
Child,  was  to  be  seen  sitting  at  the  feet  of  the  very  youth 
he  had  himself  alone  educated.  Living  consistently  too, 
he  at  last  died  a  truly  Christian  death,  about  eleven  years 
before  this  extraordinary  man,  his  son,  fell  asleep  in 
Jesus. 

COWPER. — Although  beneficial  influence  on  the  public 
mind  were  not  allowed  to  constitute  one  proof  of  a  great 
and  good  man,  fond  partiality,  arising  out  of  great  personal 
obligation  to  his  writings,  will  not  allow  me  to  omit  one 
other  individual,  by  far  the  most  useful  of  our  poets, 
whether  ancient  or  modern, — the  amiable  and  immortal 
Cowper.  Seldom  has  the  power  of  maternal  tenderness 


THE  DOMESTIC  CONSTITUTION.  133 

been  so  illustrated  as  in  his  experience.  Little  did  his 
Mother  imagine,  when  wrapping  up  her  Child  in  his  little 
scarlet  mantle,  and  sending  him  off  so  carefully  to  school, 
or  when  paying  her  nightly  visits  to  his  chamber,  to  see 
him  safe  and  warmly  laid,  that  all  this  would  be  remem- 
bered distinctly,  and  so  celebrated,  at  the  distance  of  more 
than  half  a  century  :  little  did  she  imagine  that  her  very 
countenance,  her  manners,  and  treatment,  would  make 
impressions,  such  as  all  the  dark  scenes  and  mental  de- 
pressions of  many  years  should  not  be  able  to  efface ! 
But  what  says  the  Poet  1 

"  '  Tis  now  become  a  hist'ry  little  known, 
That  once  we  call'd  the  past'ral  house  our  own. 
Short-lived  possession  !  but  the  record  fair, 
That  mem'ry  keeps  of  all  thy  kindness  there, 
Still  outlives  many  a  storm  that  has  effaced 
A  thousand  other  themes  less  deeply  traced. 
Thy  nightly  visits  to  my  chamber  made, 
That  thou  might'st  know  me  safe  and  warmly  laid  ; 
Thy  morning  bounties  ere  I  left  my  home, 
The  biscuit  or  confectionary  plum  ; 
The  fragrant  waters  on  my  cheeks  bestow'd 
By  thy  own  hand,  till  fresh  they  shone  and  glow'd : 
All  this,  and  more  endearing  still  than  all, 
Thy  constant  flow  of  love,  that  knew  no  fall; 
Ne'er  roughen'd  by  those  cataracts  and  breaks, 
That  humor  interposed  too  often  makes  : 
All  this  still  legible  in  mem'ry 's  page, 
And  still  to  be  so  till  my  latest  age, 
Adds  joy  to  duty,  makes  me  glad  to  pay 
Such  honors  to  thee  as  my  numbers  may ; 
Perhaps  a  frail  memorial,  but  sincere, 
Not  scorn'd  in  heav'n,  though  little  noticed  here." 

This  interesting  woman,  his  Mother,  was  descended 
through  the  families  of  Hippesley  of  Throughly,  in  Sussex, 
and  Pellet  of  Bolney,  in  the  same  county,  from  the  several 
noble  houses  of  West,  Knollys,  Carey,  Buller,  Howard, 
and  Mowbray ;  and  so  by  four  different  lines  from  Henry 
12 


134  THE  MORAL  POWER  OF 

the  Third,  king  of  England.  Distinctions  of  this  nature 
can  shed  no  additional  lustre  on  the  memory  of  Cowper ; 
they  are  mentioned  merely  with  a  view  to  the  introduction 
of  the  following  lines,  from  the  same  poem : 

"  My  boast  is  not,  that  I  deduce  my  birth 
From  loins  enthroned,  and  rulers  of  the  earth ; 
But  higher  far  my  proud  pretensions  rise — 
The  Son  of  Parents  pass'd  into  the  skies." 

Before  obtaining  his  Mother's  picture,  the  occasion,  it 
is  well  known,  of  these  beautiful  lines,  Cowper  used  to 
dwell  with  great  pleasure  on  her  memory,  and,  immedi- 
ately after  receiving  it,  he  addressed  a  letter  to  the  donor, 
his  cousin,  Mrs.  Bodham,  in  which  he  says — 

"  The  world  could  not  have  furnished  you  with  a  present  so 
acceptable  to  me  as  the  picture  you  have  so  kindly  sent  me.  I 
received  it  the  night  before  last,  and  viewed  it  with  a  trepidation  of 
nerves  and  spirits  somewhat  akin  to  what  I  should  have  felt,  had  the 
dear  original  presented  herself  to  my  embraces.  I  kissed  it,  and 
hung  it,  where  it  is  the  last  object  that  I  see  at  night,  and,  of  course, 
the  first  on  which  I  open  my  eyes  in  the  morning.  She  died  when 
I  completed  my  sixth  year ;  yet  I  remember  her  well,  and  am  an 
ocular  witness  of  the  great  fidelity  of  the  copy.  I  remember,  too, 
a  multitude  of  the  maternal  tendernesses  which  I  received  from  her, 
and  which  have  endeared  her  memory  to  me  beyond  expression. 
There  is  in  me,  I  believe,  more  of  the  Donne  than  of  the  Cowper, 
and  though  I  love  both  names,  and  have  a  thousand  reasons  to  love 
those  of  my  own  name,  yet  I  feel  the  bond  of  nature  draw  me 
vehemently  to  your  side.  I  was  thought,  in  the  days  of  my  child- 
hood, much  to  resemble  my  mother ;  and,  in  my  natural  temper,  of 
which,  at  the  age  of  fifty-eight,  I  must  be  supposed  a  competent 
judge,  can  trace  both  her,  and  my  late  uncle,  your  Father:  some- 
what of  his  irritability,  and  a  little,  I  would  hope,  both  of  his  and 

her ,  I  know  not  what  to  call  it,  without  seeming  to  praise 

myself,  which  is  not  my  intention,  but,  speaking  to  you,  J  will  speak 
out,  and  say,  good  nature.  Add  to  all  this,  I  deal  much  in  poetry, 
as  did  our  venerable  ancestor,  the  Dean  of  St.  Paul's  (his  Mother, 
too,  he  might  have  added,  who,  if  not  a  poetess,  was  fond  of  poetry), 
and  I  think  I  shall  have  proved  myself  a  Donne  at  all  points."  To 


THE  DOMESTIC  CONSTITUTION.  135 

another  relative,  about  the  same  time,  he  says, — The  portrait  "I  had 
rather  possess  than  the  richest  jewel  in  the  British  crown  :  for  I 
loved  her  with  an  affection,  that  her  death,  fifty-two  years  ago,  has 
not  in  the  least  abated.  I  remember,  too,  young  as  I  was  when  she 
died,  well  enough  to  know,  that  it  is  a  very  exact  resemblance  of 
her,  and  as  such  it  is  to  me  invaluable." 

Cowper's  case  is  one  most  affecting  proof  of  the  amount 
of  loss  sustained  in  the  removal  of  such  a  Mother.  Wit- 
ness what  happened  immediately  afterwards.  Though 
much  of  his  distress  is  to  be  referred,  unquestionably,  to 
physical  causes,  and  the  mistaken  treatment  of  early 
disease,  long,  long  before  the  alienation  of  his  mind,*  yet 
had  she  survived  to  train  this  tender  plant,  many  a  gloomy 
hour,  and  day,  and  year,  might,  humanly  speaking,  have 
been  averted.  At  all  events,  one  is  pained  in  being 
obliged  to  ascribe  so  much  of  what  followed  to  some  sad 
oversight  or  mistake  in  tender  and  considerate  training, 
during  the  rest  of  his  boyhood ;  while  it  is  pleasing  to 
observe,  that  these  first  six  years  of  existence  afforded 
even  to  Jiim  a  subject  of  frequent  delightful  reminiscence 
during  his  whole  life. 


To  extend  this  list  of  eminent  men,  so  peculiarly 
indebted  to  parental  influence,  would  not  be  difficult ;  but 
when  the  names  of  Fenelon  or  Locke,  of  Huss  or  Junius, 
of  Latimer  or  Jeremy  Taylor,  of  Baxter  or  Flavel,  of 


*  Between  mind  and  body  there  is  such  an  intimate  connection, 
that,  in  many  cases,  the  state  of  the  individual  may  be  conjectured. 
So,  when  Cowper  was  depressed,  or  under  alienation  of  mind,  his 
health,  in  general,  was  good ;  when  unwell,  his  mind  was  better 
and  comparatively  easy.  Indeed,  as  to  its  physical  cause,  the 
mental  obliquity  of  this  amiable  man,  it  is  now  well  known,  was 
owing  to  his  having,  in  very  early  life,  unadvisedly  checked  an 
erisipelatous  complaint  in  the  face,  which  rendered  him  ever  after- 
wards liable  to  depression  of  spirits. 


136  THE  MORAL  POWER  OF 

Romaine  or  Chandler,  are  mentioned,  let  it  not  be  forgot- 
ten how  much  we  stand  indebted  to  the  Father  of  each. 
When  Augustine  or  Luther,  Lord  Bacon  or  Bishop  Hall, 
George  Herbert  or  Halyburton,  Hervey  or  Colonel  Gar- 
diner, Doddridge  or  Cecil,  Swartz  or  Brainerd,  are  thought 
of  with  gratitude  or  admiration,  let  their  amiable  and 
interesting  Mothers  be  also  remembered,  to  whom,  in  a 
greater  or  less  degree,  they  owed  the  rise  and  origin  of  all 
their  future  eminence.  In  almost  all  these  cases,  it  is  by 
no  means  intended  to  exclude  the  other  Parent,  who  either 
assisted  or  sanctioned  all  that  was  done,  when  that  parent 
survived ;  but  to  both  Parents  we  are  equally  under  obli- 
gation for  John  Howe  and  Jonathan  Edwards,  Witsius 
and  Grotius,  Bates  and  Henry,  Watts  and  Dwight ;  for 
the  family  of  Collins,  mentioned  by  Fox  in  his  Acts  and 
Monuments,  as  well  as  the  Mathers,  and  Cottons,  and 
May  hews,  of  North  America.  Nay,  when  deprived  of  the 
advantage  of  both  parents,  it  is  often  to  some  other  relative 
that  we  trace  the  early  training  of  the  mind,  or  the  direc- 
tion given  to  the  genius  of  the  Child.  By  his  Grandfather, 
Melancthon  was  instructed ;  Beza  and  Ridley  were  in- 
debted to  their  Uncles;  while  Archbishop  Usher  was 
trained  up  from  infancy  by  his  two  Aunts,  though  they 
were  born  blind  !  Both  persons  of  great  piety*  as  well  as 
of  a  remarkable  knowledge  of  Sacred  Scripture,  they 
actually  taught  him  to  read,  and  until  he  was  eight  years 
old,  he  remained  under  their  tuition  alone. 

Proof  being  now  not  so  much  my  object  as  impression, 
and  as  the  minds  of  Parents  in  general  seem  to  be  far 
from  sufficiently  alive  to  the  power  thus  lodged  in  their 
hands,  until  it  is  too  late,  I  hope  I  may  be  excused  in 
noticing,  though  very  briefly,  a  few  of  these  names. 

RICHARD  BAXTER,  the  English  Demosthenes,  though 
at  one  period  likely  to  prove  only  a  grief  to  his  Parents^ 


THE  DOMESTIC  CONSTITUTION.  137 

at  last  reached  the  eminence  on  which  he  now  stands* 
Fortunately  for  him,  his  Father  directed  his  attention  to 
the  historical  parts  of  the  Bible,  which  much  interested 
him,  and  inspired  him  with  a  desire  to  peruse  the  whole. 
In  consequence  of  this  desire,  the  perusal  of  other  books, 
and  the  conversations  of  his  Father,  his  mind  was  en- 
lightened ;  for  these  were,  to  say  the  least,  among  the 
means  employed  for  his  cordial  reception  of  divine  truth. 
And  though  this  extraordinary  character  often  lamented 
that,  with  him,  "  childhood  and  youth  had  too  much 
vanity,"  he  never  forgot  how  greatly  he  had  been  indebted 
to  the  restraining  power  of  parental  instruction  and  ex- 
ample. Hence,  even  in  old  age,  he  published  tb,e  sense 
he  still  entertained  of  his  obligations  to  these  divinely- 
appointed  guardians  of  his  infancy.  Among  his  homely 
"  poetical  fragments,"  we  find  him  referring  to  his  Father 
and  Mother  in  the  following  lines : 

"  My  Parents  here  thy  skilful  hand  did  plant,. 
Free  from  the  snares  of  riches  and  of  want. 
Their  tender  care  was  used  for  me  alone, 
Because  thy  providence  gave  to  them  but  one  ; 
Their  early  precepts  so  possessed  my  heart, 
That  taking  root,  they  did  not  thence  depart. 
Thy  wisdom  so  contrived  my  education, 
As  might  expose  me  to  the  least  temptation. 
Much  of  that  guilt  thy  mercy  did  prevent, 
In  which  my  spring-time  I  should  else  have  spent. '* 

HALL,  Bishop  of  Norwich,  the  English  Seneca,  not  only 
felt  himself,  throughout  life,  under  singular  obligation  to 
his  Mother,  but,  if  eloquent  at  any  time,  it  was  when 
referring  to  her.  "  How  often,"  says  he,  "  have  I  blessed 
the  memory  of  those  divine  passages  of  experimental 
divinity  which  I  have  heard  from  her  mouth!  Never 
any  lips  have  read  to  me  such  feeling  lectures  of  piety  ; 
neither  have  I  known  any  soul  that  more  accurately  prac- 
tised them  than  her  awn.  Shortly,  for  I  can  hardly  take 


138  THE  MORAL  POWER  OF 

off  my  pen  from  so  exemplary  a  subject,   her  life  and 
death  were  saint-like." 

DR.  DODDRIDGE. — A  Bohemian  female,  the  daughter 
of  a  worthy  minister,  who  had  been  compelled  to  forsake 
his  native  country,  in  consequence  of  persecution,  took 
refuge  in  Britain,  and  so  she  became  the  Mother  of  this 
excellent  arid  useful  man.     Nor  was  this  the  only  notable 
circumstance  in  regard   to    his  origin :    Dr.   Doddridge 
having  been  the  twentieth  child,  and  the  only  surviving 
Son  of  his  Mother.     As  the  children,  with  the  exception 
of  one  daughter,  had  all  died  in  infancy,  young  Doddridge 
had  been  actually  laid  aside  as  dead  soon  after  his  birth  ; 
but  some  motion  being  observed,  and  having  been  nursed 
with  great  care,  his  earliest  years  were  consecrated,  by 
both  his  Parents,  to  the   acquisition  of  religious  knowl- 
edge ;  nay,  before  he  could  read,  the  history  of  the  Old 
and  New  Testament  his  Mother  taught  him,  by  means  of 
some  Dutch  tiles,   in   the  chimney-corner  of  the  room 
where  they  resided.     On  these  histories  she  was  in  the 
habit  of  making  her  own  judicious  reflections  to  the  little 
child;  and   thus   impressions  were   made  on   his  mind, 
which  subsequent  years  never  could  obliterate.     In  his 
thirteenth  year  he  was  deprived,  by  death,  of  his  Father, 
and  soon  after  of  his  affectionate  Mother,  of  both  of  whom 
he  always  spoke  in  terms  of  the  greatest  respect  and 
affection.     Hence,  in  his  own  character  as  a  Parent,  we 
see  their   influence  extended  and  improved.      Not  only 
was  he  an  affectionate  husband  to  an   affectionate  and 
pious  wife,  but  to  the  education  of  his  children  he  paid 
great  attention ;  and  their  moral  and  religious  characters 
he  endeavored  to  form  and  improve,  by  example  as  well 
as  precept. 

JONATHAN  EDWARDS  of  America,  the  only  brother  of 
ten  sisters,  the  Child  of  Parents  eminently  pious,   was 


THE  DOMESTIC  CONSTITUTION.  139 

greatly  indebted  to  them  in  his  earliest  years ;  and  what 
is  singular,  he  could  distinctly  look  back  on  his  own 
progenitors,  in  a  regular  chain,  to  his  great-great  Grand- 
father, a  minister  in  London,  in  the  reign  of  Queen 
Elizabeth.  The  family  of  his  Mother  (a  singular  woman, 
who,  surviving  him,  died  at  the  age  of  90),  was  equally 
distinguished  for  their  Christianity  and  attention  to  family 
religion.  When  Jonathan  Edwards,  therefore,  is  admired 
as  a  prodigy  in  the  religious  or  metaphysical  world,  and 
well  he  may,  he  cannot  be  regarded  as  we  do  a  lily  among 
thorns,  or,  to  use  another  Scripture  metaphor,  "  as  the 
apple-tree  among  the  trees  of  the  wood."  He  appears 
before  us  as  the  offspring  of  an  extended  line  of  pious 
ancestors,  and  as  especially  indebted  to  his  immediate 
Parents ;  as  well  as  the  spring-head  of  a  posterity  who 
yet  survive  to  benefit  and  bless  the  world ;  for  the 
Parent  of  the  Mother  of  President  Dwight  must  again  be 
noticed. 

DR.  DWIGHT,  another  character,  but  recently  deceased, 
is  a  name  with  which  the  reader  is  doubtless  familiar. 
His  Mother  "  possessed  uncommon  powers  of  mind,  and, 
for  the  extent  and  variety  of  her  knowledge,  has  rarely 
been  exceeded  by  any  of  her  sex  in  this  country  (America.) 
Though  married  at  an  early  age,  and  a  Mother  at  eighteen, 
she  found  time,  without  neglecting  the  ordinary  cares  of 
her  family,  to  devote  herself,  with  the  most  assiduous 
attention,  to  the  instruction  of  this  Son,  and  her  numerous 
family  of  children,  as  they  successively  claimed  her  re- 
gard. Perhaps  few  instances  can  be  found,  in  which  this 
great  duty  has  been  performed,  with  more  scrupulous 
fidelity  than  in  the  case  now  under  consideration.  With 
a  mind  originally  vigorous  and  discriminating,  she  had 
been  accustomed,  from  infancy,  to  the  conversation  of 
men  of  literature,  who  resorted,  in  great  numbers,  to  her 


140  THE  MORAL  POWER  OF 

Father's  house,  and  thus  was  forcibly  taught  the  impor- 
tance of  that  learning,  the  effects  of  which  she  had  so 
often  had  opportunity  to  witness.  It  was  a  maxim  with 
her,  the  soundness  of  which  her  own  observation  through 
life  fully  confirmed,  that  children  generally  lose  several 
years,  in  consequence  of  being  considered  too  young  to  be 
taught.  She  pursued  a  different  course  with  her  Son : 
she  began  to  instruct  him  almost  as  soon  as  he  was  able 
to  speak ;  and  such  was  his  eagerness,  as  well  as  his 
capacity  for  improvement,  that,  before  he  was  four  years 
old,  he  was  able  to  read  the  Bible  with  ease  and  correct- 
ness."  "With  the  benefit  of  his  Father's  example 

constantly  before  him,  enforced  and  recommended  by 
the  precepts  of  his  Mother,  he  was  sedulously  instructed 
in  the  doctrines  of  religion,  as  well  as  the  whole  circle 
of  moral  duties.  She  taught  him  from  the  very  dawn  of 
reason  to  fear  God  ;  to  be  conscientiously  just  and  kind  : 
affectionate,  and  charitable,  and  forgiving  ;  to  preserve, 
on  all  occasions,  and  under  all  circumstances,  the  most 
sacred  regard  to  truth ;  to  relieve  the  distresses  and  supply 
the  wants  of  the  poor  and  unfortunate.  She  aimed,  at  a 
very  early  period,  to  enlighten  his  conscience  ;  to  make 
him  afraid  of  sin  ;  and  taught  him  to  hope  for  pardon  only 
through  the  righteousness  of  Christ.  The  impressions 
thus  made  were  never  effaced." 

"  A  great  proportion  of  the  instruction  which  he  re- 
ceived, before  he  arrived  at  the  age  of  six  years,  was  at 
home  with  his  Mother.  Her  school-room  was  her  nursery. 
Here  he  had  his  regular  hours  for  study  as  in  a  school  ; 
and  twice  every  day  she  heard  him  repeat  his  lesson  : 
here,  in  addition  to  his  stated  task,  he  watched  the  cradle 
of  his  younger  brothers.  When  his  lesson  was  recited, 
he  was  permitted  to  read  such  books  as  he  chose.  Being 
previously  familiar  with  the  historical  parts  of  the  Bible, 
his  Mother  turned  his  attention  to  Josephus  and  Prideaux, 


THE  DOMESTIC  CONSTITUTION.  141 

and  the  more  modern  history  of  the  Jews.  After  this  he 
read  Rollin  and  Hooke ;  the  histories  of  Greece  and 
England  ;  the  history  of  New  England,  and  their  wars 
with  the  Indians.  All  his  knowledge,  in  short,  both  of 
grammar,  and  geography,  and  history,  was  thus  acquired  ; 
and  few  persons  have  a  more  accurate  acquaintance  with 
either  than  he  had.  This  domestic  education  rendered 
him  fond  of  home,  and  of  the  company  of  his  Parents,  and 
saved  him  from  the  school-boy  coarseness  and  effrontery. 
His  Father  being  particularly  fond  of  the  society  of  men 
of  education  and  intelligence,  they  were  to  the  Son  most 
welcome,  and  their  conversations  with  his  Father  excited 
in  him  the  first  desires  after  excellence  and  eminence  of 
character."  His  story  need  not  be  further  pursued  : 
suffice  it  to  add,  that,  until  his  twelfth  year,  his  education 
was  conducted  under  the  roof  of  Parents,  to  whom  he 
was  so  much  and  so  deservedly  attached. 

It  is  remarkable,  that  Dr.  Dwight  was  no  less  favored 
than  President  Edwards  with  regard  to  his  progenitors. 
The  first  ancestors  of  his  Father's  family  in  America 
came  from  Dedham  in  England,  and  settled  in  Massachu- 
setts in  1637.  From  him  Dwight  was  descended  in  the 
oldest  male  line  ;  and  he  was  able  to  refer  to  each  indi- 
vidual in  that  line,  including  five  generations,  and  reflect, 
that  he  was  not  only  a  member  of  the  church  of  Christ, 
but  had  a  fair  reputation  for  piety. 

RICHARD  CECIL  of  London,  when  but  a  young  man, 
had  pursued  a  bold  and  determined  career,  till  sunk  in  sin, 
hardening  himself  in  infidelity,  and  instilling  the  same 
principles  into  others,  there  seemed  no  prospect  of  any 
change.  His  excellent  Mother,  however,  had  performed 
her  part,  and  still  remembered  that  it  was  good,  not  only 
to  pray  always,  but  not  to  faint,  or  desist  upon  any  account, 


142  THE  MORAL  POWER  OF 

At  last,  one  night  he  lay  contemplating  the  case  of  his 
Mother  : 

"  I  see,"  said  he  within  himself,  "  two  unquestionable  facts  :  first, 
My  mother  is  greatly  afflicted  in  circumstances,  body,  and  mind  ; 
and  yet  I  see  that  she  cheerfully  bears  up  under  all,  by  the  support 
she  derives  from  constantly  repairing  to  her  closet  and  her  Bible ; 
secondly,  That  she  has  a  secret  spring  of  comfort,  of  which  I  know 
nothing ;  while  I,  who  give  an  unbounded  loose  to  my  appetites, 
and  seek  pleasure  by  every  means,  seldom  or  ever  find  it.  If,  how- 
ever, there  is  such  a  secret  in  religion,  why  may  1  not  find  it  as  well 
as  my  Mother  ? " — He  instantly  rose  and  began  to  pray,  but  was 
soon  damped,  by  recollecting  that  much  of  his  Mother's  comfort 
seemed  to  arise  from  her  faith  in  Christ.  Now,  thought  he,  "  this 
Christ  1  have  ridiculed :  He  stands  much  in  my  way,  and  can  form 
no  part  of  my  prayers." — In  utter  confusion  he  lay  down  again ; 
but,  in  process  of  time,  conviction  of  sin  continuing,  his  difficulties 
were  gradually  removed,  his  objections  answered.  He  now  listened 
to  those  admonitions  of  his  Mother,  which  he  had  before  affected  to 
receive  with  pride  and  scorn  ;  yet  they  had  fixed  themselves  in  his 
heart  like  a  barbed  arrow ;  and  though  the  effects  were  concealed 
from  her  observation,  yet  tears  would  fall  from  his  eyes,  as  he  passed 
along  the  street,  from  the  impression  she  had  made  on  his  mind. 
Now  he  would  discourse  with  her,  and  hear  her  without  outrage, 
which  revived  her  hopes,  especially  as  he  then  attended  the  public 
worship  of  God.  Thus  he  made  some  progress,  but  felt  no  small 
difficulty  in  separating  from  his  favorite  connections.  Light,  how- 
ever, broke  into  his  mind,  till  at  last  he  discovered  that  Christ  Jesus, 
BO  far  from  "  standing  in  the  way,"  as  he  once  thought,  was  indeed 
the  waij,  the  truth,  and  the  life,  to  all  who  come  unto  God  by  Him." 

After  such  a  change,  it  is  not  wonderful  that  Mr.  Cecil 
should  have  written  and  spoken  with  so  much  pathos  on 
the  influence  of  the  parental  character.  "Where  parental 
influence  does  not  convert,"  he  would  say,  "  it  hammers : 
it  hangs  on  the  wheels  of  evil.  I  had  a  pious  Mother 
who  dropped  things  in  my  way.  I  could  never  rid  myself 
of  them  :  I  was  a  professed  infidel :  but  then  I  liked  to  be 
an  infidel  in  company,  rather  than  when  alone :  I  was 
wretched  when  by  myself.  These  principles,  and  maxims, 
and  data,  spoiled  my  jollity."  Again  he  says, — "  I  find 


THE  DOMESTIC  CONSTITUTION.  143 

in  myself  another  evidence  of  the  greatness  of  parental 
influence.  I  detect  myself,  to  this  day,  in  laying  clown 
maxims  in  my  family,  which  I  took  up  at  three  or  four 
years  of  age,  before  I  could  possibly  know  the  reason  of 
them." — "  Besides,  parental  influence  must  be  great,  be- 
cause God  has  said  it  shall  be  so.  The  Parent  is  not  to 
stand  reasoning  and  calculating.  God  has  said,  that  his 
character  shall  have  influence  :  and  so  this  appointment 
of  Providence  becomes  often  the  punishment  of  a  wicked 
man.  Such  a  man  is  a  complete  selfist.  I  am  weary  of 
hearing  such  men  talk  about  their  'family' — and  their 
'family' — they  'must  provide  for  their  family.'  Their 
family  has  no  place  in  their  real  regard;  they  push  for 
themselves.  But  God  says, — 'No!  you  think  your  chil- 
dren shall  be  so  and  so ;  but  they  shall  be  rods  for  your 
own  backs.  They  shall  be  your  curse.  They  shall  rise 
up  against  you.'  The  most  common  of  all  human  com- 
plaints is, — Parents  groaning  under  the  vices  of  their 
children !  This  is  all  the  effect  of  parental  influence." 


The  female  character,  on  which  so  much  depends,  and 
which,  unquestionably,  has  never  risen  to  its  greatest 
power  and  perfection,  save  when  formed  under  the  do- 
mestic roof,  the  reader  may  have  observed,  has  been  kept 
in  view  throughout.  Could  the  eminent  Mothers,  already 
mentioned,  be  traced  to  their  respective  homes  in  early 
life,  there  we  should  find  the  secret  of  that  powerful  sway 
which  they  maintained  over  their  own  children  with  so 
much  advantage.  The  lustre  of  that  example,  to  which 
the  walls  of  their  Husband's  dwelling  bore  such  witness, 
had  before  then,  in  most  instances,  if  not  in  all,  proved 
the  joy  of  a  Father's  or  a  Mother's  heart.  Still  it  would 
be  unpardonable,  and  a  great  defect,  not  to  give  a  few 


144  THE  MORAL  POWER  OF 

distinct  additional  instances,  proving  that  the  same  law 
holds  good  in  their  experience,  and  that  they  also  are 
witnesses  to  the  power  of  parental  influence.  A  few 
of  our  most  eminent  female  characters  must  therefore  be 
noticed. 

LADY  RACHEL  RUSSEL  will  ever  be  held  in  admiration, 
not  merely  for  her  fortitude  under  so  many  years  of  trial 
and  sorrow,  but  her  fine  talents,  applied  with  so  much 
care  in  the  education  of  her  bereaved  children.  But  then 
she  was  the  daughter  of  the  Earl  of  Southampton,  a  man 
who,  to  the  best  of  his  judgment,  without  deviation,  pur- 
sued, in  difficult  and  evil  days,  the  public  good,  and,  at 
the  same  time,  had  been  most  careful  of  her  education. 
In  this  care  her  Mother  united,  the  branch  of  a  French 
Protestant  family,  distinguished  for  the  best  of  principles. 
It  was  her  Mother's  brother  who  was  deputy-general  of 
the  reformed  churches  in  France,  and  who  pled  strongly, 
at  a  full  audience  before  Louis  XIV.,  though  in  vain,  in 
favor  of  toleration. 

LADY  BACON. — The  Mother  of  Lord  Bacon  has  been 
referred  to :  the  woman  who,  during  the  early  periods  of 
childhood  and  youth,  when  the  temper  is  most  susceptible, 
and  the  first  habits  are  acquired,  instilled  into  his  infant 
mind  the  rudiments  and  principles  of  science,  and  awa- 
kened the  spirit  of  liberal  curiosity  in  that  gigantic  mind. 
But  then  she  had  been  carefully  educated  under  her 
Father's  eye,  along  with  her  sister,  who  married  Lord 
Burleigh.  Indeed  she  was  but  one  of  four  sisters  equally 
distinguished  for  erudition.  They  were  the  four  daughters 
of  Sir  Anthony  Cooke ;  he  had  paid  scrupulous  attention 
to  their  training-up  in  youth,  and  was  the  man  who  was 
selected  for  preceptor  to  the  English  Josiah,  King  Edward 
VI.,  who  ever  held  him  in  the  highest  esteem ;  while  this 


THE  DOMESTIC  CONSTITUTION.  145 

daughter,  Lady  Bacon,  had  so  profited  under  her  Father's 
roof,  that,  from  her  superior  endowments  and  irreproach- 
able manners,  she  was  appointed  governess  to  that  in- 
teresting prince. 

MRS.  LUCY  HUTCHISON  has  been  justly  admired  as 
having  written  one  of  our  most  interesting  pieces  of 
biography,  the  Life  of  her  Husband,  Colonel  Hutchison. 
She  was,  no  doubt,  highly  accomplished  ;  but,  in  such 
times  especially,  what  had  she  been  if  her  Parents  had 
neglected  their  duty  ?  After  celebrating  the  land  of  her 
birth,  "the  next  blessing,"  she  says,  "I  have  to  consider 
in  my  nativity,  is  my  Parents,  both  of  them  pious  and 
careful  instructors  of  rny  youth,  both  by  precept  and 
example."  They  are  afterwards  represented  as  applying 
all  their  cares,  and  sparing  no  cost,  to  improve  her  mind  ; 
and  to  conclude,  she  says, — "It  pleased  God,  that,  through 
the  good  instructions  of  my  Mother,  and  the  sermons  she 
carried  me  to,  I  was  convinced  that  the  knowledge  of  God 
was  the  most  excellent  study,  and  accordingly  applied 
myself  to  it,  and  to  practise  as  I  was  taught." 

MRS.  ELIZABETH  ROWE  imbibed  from  her  Parents  her 
religious  principles ;  her  Father  having  been  at  great  pains 
in  the  cultivation  of  her  mind,  was  ably  assisted  by  her 
Mother,  an  eminent  Christian,  who  had  first  become 
acquainted  with  her  Father  when  he  was  unjustly  confined 
in  Ilchester  jail  for  nonconformity.  "  My  infant  hands," 
she  says,  "  were  early  lifted  up  to  Thee,  and  I  soon  learn- 
ed to  know  and  acknowledge  the  God  of  my  Fathers." 
For  her  relatives,  whether  of  her  own  or  her  husband's 
family,  she  entertained  the  warmest  affection  ;  and  she 
was  laid  at  last,  according  to  request,  in  her  Father's 
grave. 

13 


146  THE  MORAL  POWER  OF 

MRS.  CECIL  has  been  already  referred  to ;  but  then  she 
was  the  link  in  a  chain  of  pious  ancestors :  and  many 
preceding  generations  in  her  family  having  walked  in  the 
fear  of  God,  the  united  influence  of  their  example  was 
daily  before  her  mind. 

MRS.  DWIGHT,  and  her  manner  of  proceeding  in  the 
education  of  her  children,  have  perhaps  been  admired 
by  the  reader;  but  no  wonder  that  she  was  such  a  woman, 
being  the  daughter  of  such  a  Father — Jonathan  Edwards 
of  America;  a  man  who  entertained  the  finest  sentiments 
respecting  Family  order  and  government.  The  man  who 
said  on  one  occasion, — "  We  have  had  great  disputes  how 
the  Church  ought  to  be  regulated ;  but  the  due  regulation 
of  your  families  is  of  no  less,  and,  in  some  respects,  of 
much  greater  importance.  Every  Christian  family  ought 
to  be  as  it  were  a  little  church,  consecrated  to  Christ,  and 
wholly  influenced  and  governed  by  his  rules.  Family 
education  and  order  are  some  of  the  chief  of  the  means 
of  grace.  If  these  fail,  all  other  means  are  likely  to 
prove  ineffectual :  if  these  are  duly  maintained,  all  the 
means  of  grace  will  be  likely  to  prosper  and  be  successful. 
Let  me  now,  therefore,  once  more  repeat  the  counsel 
which  I  have  often  urged  on  the  heads  of  families,  to 
great  painfulness  in  teaching,  warning,  and  directing  their 
children;  bringing  them  up  in  the  nurture  and  admonition 
of  the  Lord ;  beginning  early  where  there  is  yet  opportu- 
nity ;  and  maintaining  a  constant  diligence  in  labors  of 
this  kind.  Remember,  that  as  ye  would  not  have  all 
your  instructions  and  counsels  ineffectual,  there  must  be 
government  as  well  as  instructions,  which  must  be  main- 
tained with  an  even  hand  and  steady  resolution,  as  a 
guard  to  the  religion  and  morals  of  the  family,  and  the 
support  of  its  good  order. — Take  heed  that  it  be  not  with 
any  of  you  as  it  was  with  Eli  of  old,  who  reproved  his 


THE  DOMESTIC  CONSTITUTION.  147 

children,  but  restrained  them  not;  and  that  by  this  means 
you  do  not  bring  the  like  curse  on  your  families  that  he 
did  on  his. 

"And  let  Children  obey  their  Parents,  and  yield  to 
their  instructions,  and  submit  to  their  orders,  as  they 
would  inherit  a  blessing  and  not  a  curse ;  for  we  have 
reason  to  think,  from  many  things  in  the  word  of  God, 
that  nothing  has  a  greater  tendency  to  bring  a  curse  on 
persons  in  this  world,  and  on  all  their  temporal  concerns, 
than  an  undutiful,  unsubmissive,  disorderly  behavior  in 
Children  towards  their  Parents." 

Miss  ELIZABETH  SMITH  has  been  regarded  as  a  young 
woman  of  great  attainments ;  but  during  her  childhood 
and  youth  she  was  not  neglected.  Indeed  she  does  not 
seem  to  have  there  enjoyed  any  uncommon  or  peculiar 
advantages,  except  in  the  conversation  and  instructions 
of  her  Mother,  who  appears,  from  some  of  her  letters, 
to  have  possessed  an  elegant  and  cultivated  understand- 
ing. 

Miss  BACON. — Of  this  lady,  the  eldest  daughter  of 
John  Bacon,  Esq.,  R.  A.,  her  brother  has  said, — "  I  have 
no  hesitation  in  believing,  that,  had  she  been  otherwise 
educated,  she  would  have  become  a  willing  subject  for 
the  gayest  scenes  of  the  fashionable  world."  This  is  the 
testimony  of  a  Son  to  his  Father's  conduct ;  and  as  for 
her  Mother,  who  died  when  Miss  Bacon  was  thirteen 
years  old,  he  says, — "  when  on  her  death-bed,  among  the 
petitions  which  she  frequently  and  fervently  repeated  on 
behalf  of  her  children,  one  was,  that  they  might  be  kept 
from  the  evils  of  the  world ;  a  prayer  which  was  not 
uttered  in  vain  in  the  experience  of  my  sister." 


148  THE  MORAL  POWER  OF 

It  is,  I  am  aware,  a  common  observation,  that  all  great 
men  and  women  have  discovered,  even  in  childhood,  some 
remarkable  trait  of  character;  but  then  who  is  it,  I  ask, 
that  feel  in  this  the  deepest  interest,  and  who  have  the 
most  powerful  influence  in  not  only  bringing  this  forward 
to  maturity,  but  in  giving  it  a  good  or  an  honorable  and 
useful  direction?  Does  it  not  now  appear  to  be  the 
Parents?  The  fewer  the  talents  which  either  you  or 
your  Children  possess,  the  less  will  you  have  to  account 
for  ;  but  is  God  not  resolved  to  take  as  strict  account  of 
the  one  talent  as  of  the  ten  ?  I  wish  the  reader,  however, 
to  look  back  even  on  these  instances,  and  observe  whether 
the  object  in  general  was  not  to  implant  principle,  nay 
and  Christian  principle,  rather  than  to  furnish  their  Chil- 
dren with  the  means  of  becoming  eminent  in  this  world  ; 
and  I  have  also  to  remind  my  reader,  that  the  hands  and 
hearts  of  these  Parents  were  often  cold  in  the  dust,  long 
before  their  dear  Children  reached  that  eminence  in  point 
of  mind  or  extent  of  influence,  which  we  now  admire. 
At  their  full  growth,  they  did  not  live  to  see  them ;  but 
they  have  left  us  an  example  which,  when  its  conse- 
quences are  observed,  we  shall  do  well  to  follow. 

After  all,  however,  the  question  is  not  so  much,  who  or 
what  were  these  men  and  women,  but  what  would  they 
have  been  without  their  Parents'  example  and  counsel, 
their  care  and  constancy  ?  And  it  is  indeed  a  most  con- 
soling reflection,  that  while  there  have  been  powerful 
minds,  eminent  chiefly  for  infidelity  and  mischief,  and 
who  seem  as  though  they  had  labored  under,  what  has 
been  called,  a  black  inspiration ;  while  I  believe  that  the 
Parents  might  have  checked  and  crushed  much  evil  in 
the  bud,  certainly  they  do  not  appear  on  the  page  of 
history,  as  in  the  striking  examples  of  an  opposite  charac- 
ter, to  be  the  immediate  nurses  or  prompters  in  early  life  ; 
much  less  were  they  the  advisers  to  the  sad  infidelity  of 


THE  DOMESTIC  CONSTITUTION.  149 

mature  age.  Let  an  equal  number  of  persons,  equally 
eminent  for  mere  talent,  be  produced,  who  had  rejected 
the  Sacred  Scriptures  professedly  (though  in  all  such 
cases  without  serious  examination),  and  it  will,  I  suspect, 
be  found,  that  they  were  as  distinguished  for  disobedience 
and  self-will,  or  for  impatience  of  parental  authority,  as 
the  instances  now  adduced  were  for  the  opposite  qualities. 
Take  four  of  the  most  eminent  of  these  men,  without 
naming  them,  as  a  specimen:  it  will  be  found  that  the 
Mother  of  one  died  young,  and  his  education  was  ne- 
glected by  his  Father;  another  incurred  his  Father's 
displeasure;  the  third  acted  directly  contrary  to  his 
Father's  will  and  intentions ;  while  the  fourth  individual 
of  the  same  sad  school,  on  being  asked  if  he  wished  his 
relatives,  or  children,  and  servants,  to  adopt  his  opinions, 
is  reported  to  have  either  declined  an  answer,  or  replied 
in  the  negative.  No,  these  unhappy  men,  who  have  been 
pre-eminent  for  infidelity,  in  many,  if  not  in  most  cases, 
had  forsaken,  so  far  at  least,  the  earthly,  but  divinely- 
appointed  guide  of  their  youth.  They  had  not,  in  their 
skepticism  at  least,  asked  their  Father's  advice  and 
concurrence ;  and  so,  in  the  wane  of  life,  wearied  in 
the  greatness  of  a  way  which  they  had  marked  out  for 
themselves,  their  last  years  have  generally  exhibited  a 
melancholy  and  miserable  destitution  of  all  the  tender 
charities  of  the  human  heart.  Where  is  the  man,  distin- 
guished for  skepticism  or  deism,  who  can  point  to  his 
Father  and  his  Grandfather  as  having  been  precisely  of 
his  sentiments?  And  how  has  it  often  fared  with  their 
posterity  1  Where  are  the  children's  children  of  these 
men,  and  these  walking  in  the  steps  of  their  fathers? 
History,  in  kindness  to  mankind,  may  attempt  to  draw  a 
veil  over  them,  but  there  is  an  unalterable  determination 
of  Heaven  upon  record  which  explains  the  whole  :• — 
"The  memory  of  the  wicked  shall  rot." 
13* 


15Q  THE  MORAL  POWER  OF 

On  the  other  hand,  there  are  instances  occurring  daily, 
as  to  Christianity,  in  which  the  child  can  look  up  to  the 
God  of  his  Father,  and  his  Father's  Father;  nay,  in 
various  cases,  the  individual  has  been  favored  to  look 
back  to  three,  and  four,  and  even  five  generations,  and 
reflect  that  his  progenitors,  in  regular  succession,  are  now 
all  met  in  glory  everlasting,  as  the  gracious  effect  of  their 
unity  in  the  Christian  faith.  One  case  has  been  already 
quoted,  and  that  no  mean  man,  who  could  look  back  on 
four,  and  another  who  could  look  back  on  six.  This  last 
(Dr.  Dwight)  left  behind  him,  in  America,  six  sons,  each 
of  whom,  if  Christians,  are  at  this  moment  able  to  look 
back  on  seven ! 

The  eminent  worthies  of  North  America  stand  on  very 
high  ground  for  such  accounts  of  their  ancestry.  There 
was  but  little  to  interest  such  men  in  the  woods  and  wilds 
around  them ;  and  being,  in  many  instances,  men  of 
learning  and  erudition,  and  compelled  happily  to  look  into 
the  bosom  of  their  families  for  all  their  hopes  and  comfort, 
they  and  their  posterity  as  often  looked  back  on  the 
Parents,  to  whom  they  were  naturally  and  almost  solely 
indebted.  The  same  striking  peculiarity  appeared  in  our 
own  country,  during  the  Augustan  age,  of  Howe,  and 
Owen,  and  Bates  ;  but  were  consistent  Christians,  in  any 
age,  to  read  the  book  of  Providence,  and  hand  it  down  to 
their  posterity,  the  same  law,  measure  for  measure,  will 
be  found  to  hold  good  ;  and  if  duty  is  done,  such  genealo- 
gies will  not  be  lost : 

«  There  is  a  book 

By  angels  writ,  with  beams  of  heavenly  light, 
On  which  the  eyes  of  God  not  rarely  look, 
A  chronicle  of  actions  bright  and  fair." 

In  his  own  palace  of  uncreated  day,  the  genealogies  of 
Christian  families  will  be  more  clearly  seen ;  and  many  a 


THE  DOMESTIC  CONSTITUTION.  151 

golden  chain  will  then  appear,  as  the  bright  reward  of 
parental  piety  and  prayer,  parental  consistency  and  judi- 
cious training. 

It  is  indeed  very  true,  that  the  gospel,  in  the  course  of 
its  progress,  makes  strange  circuits,  and  seizes  on  charac- 
ters who   were   in  every  sense  "out  of  the  way;"  but 
these  instances  of  divine  mercy,  while  they  furnish  reason 
for  "glorifying  God  in  them,"  as  in  the  case  of  Saul  of 
Tarsus,,  are  among  the  secret  and  sovereign  things  which 
belong  to  God ;  not  the  revealed,  which  belong  to  us,  and 
to  our  children  after  us.     Never  can  these  cases  furnish  a 
rule  of  conduct ;  and  wo  to  that  Parent  who  turns  them 
into  a  pillow  of  presumption,  with  reference  to  his  family. 
It  is  also  still  true,  that  "  it  is  not  of  him  that  willeth, 
nor  of  him  who  runneth,  but  of  God  who  showeth  mercy ; " 
but  before  the  reader  has  finished  these  pages,  it  is  pre- 
sumed he  will  agree  with  the  writer  in  believing,,  that  this 
God,  who  showeth  mercy,  and  delights  in  it,  at  the  same 
time  delights  that  his  mercy  should  run  in  the  channel  of 
consistent  family  conduct   and  character  :  and,  oh,  how 
affecting  and  deeply  interesting  is  the  contemplation  of 
the  divine   favor,  when    it   so   runs,  in    consequence   of 
Parents    having   fulfilled  their  part!     So  it  seems  Paul 
thought  when  he  said, — "I  thank   God,  whom   I   serve, 
from  my  forefathers,  with  pure  conscience,  that,  without 
ceasing,  I  have  remembrance  of  thee  in  my  prayers,  night 
and  day,  greatly  desiring  to  see  thee,  being  mindful  of  thy 
tears,  that  I  may  be  filled  with  joy."     And  at  what  time 
was  he  especially  so  affected  I     Hear  himself.     "  When  I 
call  to  remembrance  the  unfeigned  faith  that  is  in  thee, 
which  dwelt,  first,  in  thy  grandmother  Lois,  and  in  thy 
mother  Eunice ;  and  I  am  persuaded  that  in  thee  also." 
The  apostle  seems  to  have  regarded  this  young  man,  as 
not  only   possessing,  in  himself,  a  strong  claim  on  his 
affection,  but  one  of  the  highest  hereditary  titles  to  his 


152  THE  MORAL  POWER  OF 

regard.  Since  Paul  lived,  how  often  has  the  same  emotion 
recurred !  How  many,  since  then,  have  often  said — 

The  sweet  remembrance  of  the  just, 
Like  a  green  root,  revives  and  bears 
A  train  of  blessings  for  their  heirs, 

When  dying  Nature  sleeps  in  dust  f 

Having  proceeded  thus  far,  if  the  reader  now  desires  to 
see  the  parental  power  of  Parents  in  its  proper  light,  let 
him  unite  all  these  characters  in  one  view,  with  many 
others  which  might  have  been  mentioned,  and  then  ask, 
What  would  the  world  have  been  without  these  men  ? 
Yet,  when  he  sees  them  all  become  great  and  eminently 
useful  characters,  and  some  of  them,  from  the  humblest 
vale  of  life,  rise  to  the  highest  stations  of  human  society 
in  every  department,  themselves  bearing  witness,  he  hears 
the  highest  among  them  refer  to  others  as  the  original 
cause ;  so  gratefully  remembered ;  and  these,  they  say, 
under  God,  were  their  Parents. 

Third,  THE  POWER  INHERENT  IN  THE  DOMESTIC  CON- 
STITUTION TO  FORM  AND  IMPROVE  THE  CHARACTER  OF 

SERVANTS. 

Whether  we  are  conscientious  in  the  performance  of 
duty  or  not,  it  will  ever  be  found  that,  in  exact  proportion 
as  we  obtain  power  or  authority  over  others,  our  responsi- 
bility to  God  of  necessity  extends ;  our  duties  multiply. 
There  is  therefore  no  degree  of  paradox  in  the  saying  of 
Marovaux, — "He  whom  we  call  a  servant  is  perhaps  least 
a  servant  of  the  whole  band  of  menials."  The  truth  of 
this  saying  is  not  affected  by  any  superiority  with  which 
a  master  is  invested  ;  for  he  also  is  a  man  under  authority 
— he  also  has  a  Master  in  heaven  !  And  what  though 
the  violation  of  his  obligations  may  not  come  within  the 
scope  of  human  legislation,  or  the  party  wronged  may 


*'**#?< 


THE  DOMESTIC  CONST 

prove  defenceless  1  Such  violations 
for  investigation  by  Him  who  holds  the  scales  of  universal 
and  impartial  justice.  Witness  the  sense  of  obligation 
expressed  by  a  master,  one  of  the  most  ancient  to  whom 
we  can  refer.  "  If  I  did  despise  the  cause  of  my  man- 
servant or  my  maid-servant,  when  they  contended  with 
me,  what  shall  I  say  when  God  riseth  up  ?  and  when  he 
riseth,  what  shall  I  answer  him  1  "*  Nor  are  warnings 
withheld  of  such  a  visitation.  "  Thou  shalt  not  oppress  a 
hired  servant  that  is  poor  and  needy,  whether  he  be  of  thy 
brethren,  or  of  the  strangers  that  are  in  thy  land,  within 
thy  gates  :  at  Ins  day  thou  shalt  give  him  his  hire,  neither 
shall  the  sun  go  down  upon  it,  for  he  is  poor,  and  setteth 
his  heart  upon  it,  lest  he  cry  against  thee  unto  the  Lord, 
and  it  be  sin  unto  thee."f — "  Behold  the  hire  of  the  la- 
borers who  have  reaped  down  your  fields,  which  is  of  you 
kept  back  by  fraud,  crieth  :  and  the  cries  of  them  which 
have  reaped  are  entered  into  the  ears  of  the  Lord  of 
Sabaoth."!  But  oh,  how  much  more  serious  and  pregnant 
with  misery  is  the  account  to  be  rendered  by  a  master  or 
mistress,  if  a  domestic  servant  can  say  of  a  whole  family, 
"  No  one  cared  for  my  soul !  " 

The  truth  is,  that,  although  master  and  servant  are 
both  members  of  one  family,  the  distinction  between 
them,  though  not  founded  in  nature,  is  an  arrangement 
of  Providence ;  and,  like  every  such  arrangement,  pro- 
vision has  been  made  by  its  Author  for  the  harmonious 
procedure  of  both  parties.  This  provision  is  conspicuous 
in  the  duties  incumbent  on  each.  Thus,  if,  instead  of 
contempt,  or  disdain,  or  indifference,  the  relationship  of 
master  involves  not  only  civility,  but  condescension  and 
kindness;  nay,  as  has  been  already  proved,  if  the  master's 
duty  extend  to  the  soul  of  a  servant,  one  cannot  conceive 

*  Job  xxxi.  13, 14.        t  Deut.  xxiv.  14, 15.        J  James  v.  4. 


154  THE  MORAL  POWER  OF 

of  any  school,  for  the  improvement  and  formation  of  a 
servant's  character,  to  be  compared  with  it. 

Thus  it  was  that  Abraham's  feeling  of  responsibility, 
extending  as  it  did  beyond  his  children ;  he  who  had  such 
a  son  as  Isaac,  had  also  for  his  servant  such  a  man  as 
Eliezer  of  Damascus.  What  an  admirable  servant  he 
was,  God  himself  has  taken  care  to  show.  Howdilio-ent, 

'  3  7 

and  how  faithful !  Him  his  master  could  trust  with  all 
that  he  possessed,  rich  as  he  was ;  him  he  could  employ, 
with  full  confidence,  in  matters  which  involved  the  future 
peace  of  his  family,  and  on  which  must  turn  the  fulfilment 
of  the  great  promise  of  God.  Nay,  this  Abraham  could 
do  in  a  matter  which  was  intended  to  cut  off  Eliezer  for 
ever  from  being  heir  to  his  master's  property !  Nor  did  he 
employ  him  in  vain.  His  faith  and  fidelity,  his  humility 
and  prudence,  were  the  means,  under  God,  of  securing 
the  highest  wishes  of  his  Master.  Yet,  in  all  this,  we  see 
nothing  more  than  a  return  for  benefits  received.  To  his 
Master,  this  man  was  indebted  for  every  thing,  and  espe- 
cially for  his  knowledge  of  true  religion  :  for  more  than 
sixty  years  had  this  his  oldest  servant  remained  under  his 
care :  often  had  he  listened  to  the  instructions  of  his  ven- 
erable Master,  while  the  whole  conduct  of  Eliezer  proves 
that  he  had  listened  not  in  vain.  If  these  two  instances 
of  Son  and  Servant  are  found  in  one  family,  where  the 
character  of  its  head  is  so  distinctly  drawn,  to  what  pur- 
pose is  it,  if  not  to  excite  the  Master  and  Parent  of  suc- 
ceeding ages  to  the  religious  care  of  their  entire  house- 
hold? 

When  this  venerable  Servant  of  Abraham  succeeded 
in  procuring  Rebecca,  he  brought  with  her  a  female,  in 
the  capacity  of  nurse,  of  whom  most  honorable  mention 
is  made  afterwards,  on  occasion  of  her  decease.  This 
woman  stands  on  record  as  a  proof  of  the  great  extent  to 
which  even  a  Servant  may  carry  her  influence  and  char- 


THE  DOMESTIC  CONSTITUTION.  155 

acter,  as  a  Servant.  The  length  of  time  which  she 
remained  in  the  family,  and  the  degree  to  which  she 
engaged  the  affections  there,  are  alike  remarkable.  As 
this  nurse  was  present  when  Isaac  and  Rebecca  first  met, 
so  she  was  still  in  the  family,  twenty  years  afterwards, 
when  Jacob  was  born;  and  him  she  had  no  doubt  at- 
tended from  infancy  upwards.  In  him,  too,  it  should 
seem  she  had  felt  an  interest,  and  to  him,  in  her  old  age, 
she  had  transferred  so  much  of  her  confidence  and  affec- 
tion, that,  after  .the  death  of  her  mistress,  she  removed, 
and  died  in  his  family.  For  more  than  a  hundred  years 
she  had  lived  under  the  eye  and  care  of  Isaac,  and  now, 
at  the  advanced  age  of  about  one  hundred  and  eighty,  she 
is  interred  in  a  place  of  safety  and  honor,  under  the  shade 
of  an  oak,  near  Bethel.  "  But  Deborah,  Rebecca's  nurse, 
died,  and  she  was  buried  beneath  Bethel,  under  an  oak  : 
and  the  name  of  it  was  called  Allon-bachuth." 

"  Jacob,  it  is  presumed,  must  have  gone  and  visited  his 
father ;  and  finding  his  mother  dead,  and  her  nurse  far 
advanced  in  years,  more  fit  to  be  nursed  herself  than  to 
be  of  any  use  to  her  aged  Master,  he  took  her  home, 
where  she  would  meet  with  kind  attentions  from  her 
younger  country-women  ;  and  probably  Jacob  furnished 
his  father  with  another  more  suitable  in  her  place.  No- 
thing is  said  of  her  from  the  time  she  left  Padan-aram 
with  her  young  mistress ;  but,  by  the  honorable  mention 
that  is  here  made  of  her,  she  seems  to  have  been  a  worthy 
character.  The  death  of  an  aged  servant,  when  her  work 
was  done,  would  not  ordinarily  excite  much  regret.  To 
have  afforded  her  a  decent  burial  was  all  that,  in  most 
cases,  would  be  thought  of:  but  Jacob's  family  were  so 
much  affected  by  the  event  as  not  only  to  weep  over  her 
grave,  but  to  call  the  very  tree  under  the  shadow  of  which 
she  was  interred,  "  Allon-bachuth  " — the  oak  of  weeping. 
It  is  the  more  singular,  too,  that  the  family  who  wept 


156  THE  MORAL  POWER  OF 

over  her  was  not  that  in  which  she  had  lived,  in  what  we 
should  call  her  best  days,  but  one  that  had  merely  taken 
her  under  their  care  in  her  old  age."* 

Now,  the  eminence  of  this  Servant's  character  must  not 
be  viewed  apart  from  the  two  families,  father  and  son,  in 
which  she  served,  since  her  descending  to  the  grave  was 
felt  by  the  whole  circle  to  be  the  falling  of  an  ancient 
family  branch.  In  both  families  she  had  unquestionably 
shown  deep  interest :  but  then,  in  each,  there  was  much 
that  was  calculated  to  influence  and  attach,  and  in  each 
not  only  a  powerful  preservative  from  the  contagion  of 
idolatry  and  immorality,  bat  in  these  families  she  saw  the 
stream  of  the  Divine  favor,  and  fell  in  with  the  stream. 
It  is  also  worthy  of  remark,  that  the  text  seems  to  lay  an 
emphasis  upon  these  words, — "  Rebecca's  nurse  ;"  and  it 
is  not  improbable,  that  the  sorrow  expressed  at  her  in- 
terment was  not  only  on  account  of  her  character  as  a 
woman,  but  her  office,  and  the  manner  in  which  she  had 
acquitted  herself  in  it.  "  The  sight  of  the  daughter  of 
Laban,  his  mother's  brother,  and  even  of  his  sheep,  had 
interested  Jacob's  heart,  much  more  would  the  burial  of 
her  nurse.  In  weeping  over  her  grave,  he  would  seem  to 
be  weeping  over  that  of  his  beloved  parent,  and  paying 
that  tribute  of  affection  to  her  memory  which  Providence 
had  denied  him  at  the  time  of  her  decease. "t 
.  The  proper  sphere  and  just  value  of  a  domestic  Servant 
is  indeed  very  apt  to  be  underrated,  and  even  overlooked  ; 
though,  among  the  relative  characters  in  a  family,  it  stands 
peculiarly  exposed  to  the  plastic  power  of  treatment  and 
circumstances.  But  surely  the  eminent  instances  quoted 
would  seem  to  warn  us  against  such  oversight?  Nor  are 
these  the  only  two  which  might  here  be  adduced.  Several 
of  the  most  interesting  characters  recorded  in  Scripture 
were  nothing  more  than  Servants,  or  even  slaves ;  and  the 
*  Fuller  on  Genesis.  t  Ibid. 


THE  DOMESTIC  CONSTITUTION.  157 

Divine  regard  for  them,  though  placed  in  one  of  the 
humblest  vales  of  human  life,  is  very  conspicuous.  Wit- 
ness Ebedmelech,  the  Ethiopian,  and  the  little  maid  in 
the  land  of  Syria,  in  the  Old  Testament ;  or  the  Servant  of 
the  Roman  centurion,  and  Onesimus,  the  servant  of  Phil- 
emon, in  the  New.  The  first  has  a  message  sent  to  him 
from  God  himself,  by  the  mouth  of  a  prophet;  and,  while 
the  children  of  the  king,  his  master,  were  slain  in  the  royal 
presence, — nay,  the  eyes  of  that  king  are  put  out,  and  he 
is  bound  with  chains  to  be  carried  to  Babylon, — Ebedme- 
lech's  very  fears  are  anticipated,  and  he  is  assured  of  per- 
fect security  from  every  danger.  In  regard  to  the  second, 
such  is  her  weight  of  character,  even  in  youth,  that  she  is 
honored  to  send  the  great  man,  her  master,  into  Judea, 
where,  though  there  were  many  lepers,  unto  none  of  them 
was  Elias  sent,  but  to  this  individual  whom  the  little  maid 
advised.  In  regard  to  the  centurion's  Servant,  the  Saviour 
of  the  world  wrought  upon  him  one  of  his  most  illustrious 
miracles — curing  him  at  a  distance,  without  seeing  him, 
in  consequence  of  the  strong  faith  of  his  Master,  and  the 
deep  interest  which  he  discovered  in  this  his  domestic 
servant.  And  as  for  Onesimus,  the  Holy  Spirit  inspired 
an  apostle  to  write  a  letter  respecting  him,  which  now 
forms  an  interesting  part  of  the  Sacred  Canon,  as  well  as 
a  perfect  model  of  ancient  epistolary  correspondence. 

These  cases,  I  grant,  are  not  equally  illustrative  of  our 
present  subject.  Two  of  them  we  can  trace  only  to  the 
influence  of  religion  generally  on  the  minds  of  Servants. 
But  the  character  of  Philemon,  though  lost  for  a  time  on 
the  heart  of  Onesimus,  must  have  been  one  prevailing 
motive  with  him  in  complying  with  Paul's  desire  that  he 
should  return.  And  as  for  the  Roman  Centurion,  whose 
uncommon  interest  in  his  Servant  displays  the  weight  and 
value  of  that  Servant's  character,  he  had  lived  down  even 
Jewish  pfejudice,  made  the  hearts  of  the  Jews  yearn  over 
14 


158  THE  MORAL  POWER  OF 

his  family  distress,  and  secured  even  from  them  at  least 
one  instance  of  earnest  application  to  the  Saviour  for 
relief;  while  he  himself  had  received  the  Messiah  in  a 
way  which  excelled  all  that  Jesus  had  ever  beheld,  even 
in  Israel !  "  Verily,"  he  said,  "  I  have  not  found  so  great 
faith,  no,  not  in  Israel ! "  Thus  we  see  the  most  eminent 
Servants  are  found  in  the  most  eminent  families,  while 
their  excellency  of  character  throws  an  additional  light 
on  that  of  their  Master.  When  the  reader  has  cast  his 
eye  over  society  in  general,  he  will  find  this  rule  hold 
good,  though  it  may  have  exceptions.  These  exceptions, 
however,  continue  only  for  a  season  :  the  constitution  of 
such  a  family  will  right  itself,  and  must  throw  off  in  a 
short  time  what  is  incompatible  with  its  vital  interests. 

Let  a  Servant  once  enter  the  threshold  of  a  well-reg- 
ulated family,  not  only  are  habits  and  manner  corrected, 
but  ignorance  is  removed,  and  in  some  instances  too, 
where  the  Servant  is  not  a  little  indisposed  to  improvement. 
Example  is  more  powerful  than  precept,  and  the  example 
of  a  Master  or  Mistress  must  operate.  The  exercise  of 
parental  love,  the  exhibition  of  parental  authority,  and 
the  judicious  training  of  children,  are  not  witnessed 
without  some  influence  on  a  Servant's  character.  The 
exercise  of  daily  family  devotion  insinuates  certain  ideas 
into  the  mind, — meanwhile  it  restrains,  and  many  times, 
if  short  and  plain,  tender  and  heavenly,  by  slow  but 
certain  degrees,  it  may  assist  in  turning  from  darkness  to 
light :  at  all  events,  it  enables  this  Servant  to  appreciate 
the  purpose  of  God  in  a  standing  ministry,  while  it  stim- 
ulates the  attention,  probes  the  conscience,  and  helps  the 
party  to  comprehend  the  meaning,  as  well  as  follow  the 
drift,  of  a  public  expositor.  Affliction  too  must  enter  this 
family,  and  a  new  scene  is  presented, — prosperity  and 
relief  succeed,  but  still  the  same  principles  which  sustained 
in  darkness,  now  lend  a  lustre  to  their  brightest  day.  To 


•     THE  DOMESTIC  CONSTITUTION.  159 

resist  the  influence  of  such  a  combination  of  means  must 
require  no  common  effort.  The  operation  of  them  is 
constant  and  uniform,  while  in  their  united  character  they 
form  an  engine  of  vast  power  on  the  side  of  truth  and 
uprightness,  and  propriety  of  conduct. 

Let  not,  then,  any  expedient  of  human  device,  for 
improving,  or  forming,  or  reforming  the  character  of 
domestic  Servants  in  general,  be  once  mentioned  in  com- 
parison with  the  discharge  of  duty  by  Masters  in  general. 
The  Master  of  a  family  is  not  a  solitary  character :  one 
is  with  him,  or  ought  to  be,  in  herself  an  host ;  and  he 
has  most  frequently  on  his  side  a  combination  of  influence, 
which  may  by  him,  if  managed  with  prudence,  be  turned 
to  great  account,  independently  of  the  power  involved  in 
his  own  personal  character  and  relative  conduct.  Let 
Masters  then  set  a  proper  example,  and  let  them  only  do 
their  duty,  for  there  is  positively  no  other  effectual  remedy, 
and  then,  if  the  complaints  respecting  Servants,  and  the 
occasions  of  complaint,  do  not  die  away,  they  must  and 
will  be  as  few  as  can  be  expected  in  the  present  state  of 
humanity. 

Fourth,  THE  IRRESISTIBLE  ENERGY  INHERENT  IN  THE 
FAMILY  CONSTITUTION  ITSELF;  ITS  POWER  FOR  PRE- 
SERVING RELIGION  AND  MORALITY,  AND  REPELLING  EVIL, 
OR  THE  CORRUPTION  OF  MANNERS,  is  the  last  point  of 

view  in  which  this  subject  remains  to  be  illustrated. 

On  what  vantage  ground  does  the  conscientious  Chris- 
tian Parent  here  stand  !  The  springs  of  public  and  social 
life  may  be  greatly  corrupted :  the  nation  in  which  he 
dwells  may  degenerate  into  licentiousness,  into  idolatry, 
or  the  most  daring  infidelity.  Retiring,  then,  to  this 
sacred  enclosure,  he  may  entrench  himself,  and  there, 
lifting  up  a  standard  for  God,  either  wait  the  approach  of 
better  days,  or  leave  a  few  behind  him,  on  whom  the  best 


160  THE  MORAL  POWER  OF 

blessings  of  these  days  will  certainly  descend.  Though 
the  heavens  be  shut  up,  and  there  be  no  dew,  the  little 
enclosure  which  he  cultivates,  like  the  fleece  of  Gideon, 
will  discover  evident  marks  of  the  divine  favor.  It  ac- 
tually seems  as  though,  in  the  wide  scene,  where  the 
vices  of  the  age  may  and  can  reign  triumphant,  this  were 
some  secure  and  sacred  retreat  into  which  they  cannot, 
dare  not  enter.  "  If  you  will  take  this  course,"  says  such 
a  Parent  to  his  countrymen,  "  do  so  ;  there  is  left  to  me 
one  quarter,  and  only  one,  to  which  I  may  still  retire,  and 
where,  with  the  promised  blessing  of  God  on  my  head, 
every  inch  of  ground  may  be  at  once  disputed  and 

maintained." "  If  it  seem  evil  unto  you  to  serve  the 

Lord,  choose  ye,  this  day,  whom  ye  will  serve :  whether 
the  gods  which  your  Fathers  served,  that  were  on  the 
other  side  of  the  flood,  or  the  gods  of  the  Amorites,  in 
whose  land  ye  dwell ;  but  as  for  ME  and  MY  HOUSE,  we 
will  serve  tlie  Lord."  Nor  is  this  a  singular  case  :  Joshua 
is  here  in  effect  intimating  to  these,  and  all  other  Parents, 
the  extent  of  obligation  which  he  felt,  and  that  he  had  no 
idea  of  fulfilling  his  obligations  as  a  Father,  if  he  went 
home,  and  shut  up  himself  and  his  religion  in  a  closet ; 
and,  more  than  this,  the  Parents  of  every  age,  he  thus 
informs  how  much  he  could  and  would  effect,  through 
his  own  family,  as  well  as  how  much  they  might,  if  so 
disposed. 

A  practical  illustration,  however,  I  shall  prefer  to  rea- 
soning ;  and  as  it  is  one  which  will  at  once  fully  verify 
and  illustrate  the  inherent  energy  of  the  Domestic  Con- 
stitution, the  reader  will  excuse  the  length  to  which  it 
may  be  extended. 

There  were  natural  and  lawful  descendants  of  Abra- 
ham, who,  though  not  in  the  line  of  the  child  of  promise, 
have  been  too  much  overlooked  j  since  he  was  appointed 
to  be  the  Father  of  many,  or  a  multitude  of  nations,  The 


THE  DOMESTIC  CONSTITUTION.  161 

prodigious  and  rapid  increase  of  his  posterity,  in  the  line 
of  Isaac,  doubling  their  members  every  fourteen  years, 
even  in  Egypt,  is  one  view  of  the  blessing  pronounced  on 
Abraham  ;  but  the  multitude  of  nations  is  another  view  of 
it.  Had  the  knowledge  of  the  true  God  been  confined 
solely  to  Israel,  there  would  have  been  less  inducement  to 
inquire  after  the  history  of  other  branches  of  Abraham's 
posterity;  but  though  the  Sacred  Record  is  intended 
principally  to  unfold  the  fulfilment  of  divine  favor  in  the 
line  of  Isaac,  other  parties  are  incidentally  touched  upon, 
in  their  connection  with  this  line.  These  slight  memorials 
are,  at  least  to  my  mind,  most  interesting,  as  serving  to 
prove  that  the  knowledge  and  worship  of  the  true  God 
must  have  been  far  more  extensive  than  a  superficial 
reader  will  at  first  imagine. 

As  an  illustration  of  this  remark,  I  shall  only  select  the 
Midianites.  This  tribe  or  nation  had  descended  from 
Midian,  the  fourth  son  of  Abraham,  by  Keturah,  his 
second  wife.  In  progress  of  time,  they  appear  separated 
into  two  distinct  classes,  differing,  not  only  in  the  place  of 
their  residence,  but  in  their  character  and  manners.  The 
eastern  and  northern  Midianites,  who  were  uniformly  the 
enemies  of  Israel  afterwards,  were  in  alliance  with  the 
Moabites  and  Ammonites,  and  finally  marrying  among 
them,  both  nations  were  at  last  destroyed.  The  southern 
and  western,  the  more  ancient  division,  dwelt  on  the  bor- 
ders of  the  Red  Sea,  in  the  lands  partly  inhabited  by 
Cush,  the  son  of  Ham,  and  grandson  of  Noah :  hence 
individuals  belonging  to  this  tribe  were  occasionally,  and 
it  should  seem,  by  way  of  reproach,  called  Cushites. 
Now,  among  this  class  of  Midianites,  we  find  one  very 
eminent  family,  or  little  tribe,  which,  at  different  times, 
for  a  succession  of  ages,  is  glanced  at  by  the  sacred 
writers.  First,  when  Israel  was  travelling  to  Canaan, 
then  just  before  entering  it,  and  then  soon  after  they  got 
14* 


1(33  THE  MORAL  POWER  OF 

possession ;  once  in  the  time  of  the  Judges,  once  during 
the  reign  of  the  Kings ;  then  just  before  the  captivity  of 
Judah ;  and  finally  at  the  restoration  again  to  Palestine. 
It  almost  seems,  as  if  nothing  very  great  or  decisive,  in 
regard  to  the  Jews,  could  take  place,  without  their  being 
at  least  noticed  ;  for  it  is  only  on  great  occasions,  or  at 
certain  eras,  that  they  are  introduced  at  all.  The  uni- 
formity of  their  character  also,  during  this  long  period,  is 
peculiarly  striking  ;  for  though  the  notices  are  brief,  they 
are  most  emphatic,  and  not  one  of  them  contains  the 
slightest  censure.  Invariably  they  appear  before  us  on 
the  side  of  truth,  and  favorable  to  the  design  of  God  with 
regard  to  his  chosen  people.  Though  not  of 'the  seed 
of  Israel,  they  not  only  acquiesce  in  his  sovereignty,  but 
individuals  among  them  exult  in  the  progress  of  his  cause. 
These  were  the  Kenites  or  Rcchabites,  who  sprung  from 
the  south-western  Midianites. 

Two  households,  if  not  three,  in  this  little  tribe  will 
stand  the  most  rigid  scrutiny,  and  will  reward  whatever 
attention  is  bestowed  upon  them.  They  especially  de- 
serve it  also,  owing  to  the  too  common  idea,  that  true 
religion  was  entirely  confined  to  those  who  were  the  lineal 
descendants  of  Abraham  by  Isaac  and  Jacob.  That  the 
very  names  by  which  men  were  distinguished  in  ancient 
times  often  afford  some  index  to  their  history  is  well 
known  to  every  careful  reader  of  the  Scriptures.  Now, 
the  names  mentioned  in  the  first  of  these  households  are 
not  unworthy  of  observation.  That  of  the  Father  or  head, 
Raguel  or  Reuel,  signified  "  the  shepherd  or  friend  of 
God;"  that  of  his  son,  Jethro,  "his  excellence  or  re- 
mains ; "  and  that  of  his  grandson,  Hobab,  "  favored  or 
beloved."* 

*  Some  discrepancy  on  the  face  of  the  sacred  narrative,  where 
these  names  occur,  has  occasioned  variety  of  opinion  :  the  Septua- 
gint,  using  the  names  of  Raguel  and  Jethro  indiscriminately  for  the 


THE  DOMESTIC  CONSTITUTION.  163 

Upon  Moses  coming  up  out  of  Egypt,  before  the  giving 
of  the  law,  or  the  institutions  of  the  Mosaic  economy,* 
Raguel  being,  it  is  supposed,  now  dead,  Jethro  appears, 
like  another  Melchizedec  coming  out  to  bless  Abraham. 
Having  heard  the  whole  account  of  their  deliverance, 
Moses  and  Aaron,  and  all  the  elders  of  Israel,  come  be- 
fore him,  while  Tie  officiates  as  priest,  offers  a  burnt-offer- 
ing and  sacrifices  to  Jehovah,  and  they  all  eat  bread 
together  before  the  Lord.  Their  feasting  together,  "  be- 
fore God,"  was  a  token  of  their  entire  amity,  as  their 
uniting  in  one  sacrifice  had  been  of  unity  in  faith.  This 
venerable  man's  advice  too  is  tendered  to  Moses,  approved 
by  God,  and  afterwards  by  all  the  host  of  Israel.  Adopted 
as  it  was,  to  him  we  trace  "  the  rulers  of  thousands  and 
rulers  of  hundreds,  the  rulers  of  fifties  and  rulers  of  tens  :" 
an  arrangement  which  to  Moses  in  all  his  wanderings 
through  the  wilderness  was  of  immense  importance  :  in- 
deed the  rulers  of  thousands  are  supposed  to  have  been 
permanent.  Having  thus  testified  his  deep  interest,  and 
left  behind  him  a  standing  memorial  of  his  wisdom,  this 
venerable  saint  returns  to  his  own  land.  No  doubt  such 
a  man  took  home  with  him  "  the  Song  of  Moses,"  adopted 
every  word  of  it  as  his  own,  and  made  no  secret  in  his 
own  country  of  all  that  had  happened.  Witness  the  fer- 
vor of  his  expressions  on  hearing  the  derail  of  Moses — 
"  Blessed  be  the  Lord,  who  hath  delivered  you.  out  of  the 
the  hands  of  the  Egyptians,  and  out  of  the  hands  of 
Pharaoh,  who  hath  delivered  the  people  from  under  the 

father-in-law,  and,  in  Judges,  Hobab  himself  being  mentioned  in 
our  translation  as  sustaining  the  same  relation.  But,  on  a  careful 
comparison  of  every  passage,  the  above  statement  seems  to  me  at 
present  to  have  been  the  fact. 

*  See  Exodus  xviii.  The  transposition  of  this  passage  by  some 
Biblical  critics  to  a  subsequent  period,  I  incline  to  think  unwarrant- 
able and  unnatural ;  though  this  would  not  affect  the  following  nar- 
rative, but  rather  considerably  strengthen  it. 


164  '  THE  MORAL  POWER  OF 

hand  of  the  Egyptians.  Now  I  know  that  the  Lord  is 
greater  than  all  gods :  for  in  the  thing  wherein  they  dealt 
proudly,  God  is  above  them." 

Jethro's  son,  Hobab,  was  probably  with  him  on  this 
occasion,  and  whether  he  went  home  with  his  Father  is 
uncertain ;  but  if  he  did,  that  he  returned  again  is 
evident ;  for,  upon  the  tribes  of  Israel  being  all  ready  to 
move,  we  hear  Moses  himself  entreating  his  company  in 
the  most  earnest  manner ;  indeed,  so  important  was 
Hobab  in  his  estimation,  that  he  represents  him  as  likely 
to  serve  to  them  "  instead  of  eyes."  In  this  there  was  no 
reference  to  the  way  or  the  spot  of  encampment,  for  the 
pillar  of  the  cloud  directed  these,  but  to  various  important 
conveniences,  such  as  water  and  pasturage,  with  which 
he  was  acquainted,  or  to  such  cases  of  perplexity  as  might 
arise,  which  were  wisely  left  to  human  sagacity.  To  this 
man,  Hobab,  and  his  posterity,  a  most  singular  promise 
was  then  given  by  Moses,  which  we  shall  find  fulfilled  to 
the  very  letter  for  many  ages.  The  promise  was  of  large 
extent.  At  first  it  was  only,  "  we  will  do  you  good :"  but 
when  afterwards  enlarged,  Moses  prevailed  with  him  to 
proceed.  "And  he  said,  Leave  us  not  I  pray  thee — and 
it  shall  be,  if  thou  go  with  us,  yea,  it  shall  be,  that  what 
goodness  the  Lord  shall  do  unto  us,  the  same  will  we 
do  unto  thee  !  "*  This  was  engaging  for  great  things 
indeed,  for  what  could  he  say  more?  It  almost  reminds 
one  of  the  Apostle  John,  on  another  occasion,  when  he 
said,  "  That  which  we  have  seen  and  heard  declare  we 
unto  you,  that  ye  also  may  have  fellowship  with  us." 
The  truth  is,  that  into  this  family  Moses  had  married, 
and  nothing  can  be  more  amiable  than  the  deep  interest 
which  he  now  discovers  in  the  family  of  his  wife.t 

*  Numb.  xxix.  32. 

t  After  the  time  of  Isaac  and  Jacob,  we  find  several  such  alli- 
ances, on  which,  as  they  could  not  now  affect  the  covenant  made 
with  Abraham,  the  Almighty  smiled,  and  discovered  to  posterity 


THE  DOMESTIC  CONSTITUTION.  165 

Rejoicing,  therefore,  in  the  opportunity  of  finding  secu- 
rity and  repose  in  Canaan,  and  remaining  with  Israel  in 
all  their  wanderings,  of  such  importance  is  this  man  and 
his  posterity,  that,  forty  years  afterwards,  from  the  top  of 
the  rock,  they  are  espied  by  Balaam  among  the  tents  of 
Jacob  and  tabernacles  of  Israel !  "  He  looked  on  the 
Kenites,  and  took  up  his  parable  and  said — Strong  is  thy 
dwelling-place,  and  thou  puttest  thy  nest  in  a  rock." 
Moses  dies,  but  when  Joshua  crossed  over  to  Jericho, 
they  were  there,  and  the  land  being  once  subdued,  in  the 
expressive  language  of  Balaam,  whether  it  referred  to 
their  past  or  proposed  situation,  assuredly  now  they  put 
their  nest  in  a  rock  ;  for  "  the  children  of  the  Kenite, 
Moses'  father-in-law,  went  up  out  of  the  city  of  palm-trees, 
with  the  children  of  Judah,  into  the  wilderness  of  Judah, 
in  the  south  of  Arad  ;  and  they  went,  and  dwelt  among 
the  people."*  In  choosing  this  retreat,  they  had  not,  like 
Lot,  chosen  a  fruitful  plain  and  well  watered,  but  a  wil- 
derness; yet  even  here,  in  process  of  time,  one  inconve- 
nience remained,  which  must  be  removed ;  for  they  must 
be  taken  care  of  and  preserved.  They  were  surrounded 
by  the  Amalekites,  a  people  still  infesting  the  tribe  of 
Judah,  and  who,  for  their  murderous  conduct  and  inten- 
tions to  Israel  in  the  wilderness,  had  been  appointed  to 
utter  destruction.  Here,  in  short,  their  situation  seemed 
analogous  to  that  of  Lot  in  Sodom.  But  God  knoweth 
well  how  to  extricate :  so  he  interposed  on  their  behalf, 
and  that  even  through  the  instrumentality  of  Saul.  This 
deliverance,  by  such  a  man,  was  more  evidently  an  inter- 
position of  Divine  Providence  in  their  favor,  inasmuch  as 

how  much  that  mother  gained  who  came  to  put  her  trust  under  the 
shadow  of  his  wings.     The  wife  of  Joseph  was  an  Egyptian,  and  of 
Moses  a  Kenite  or  Midianite  :    the  grandmother  of  David  was  a 
Moabitess,  and  other  instances  might  perhaps  be  found. 
*  Judges  i,  16. 


166  THE  MORAL  POWER  OF 

we  seldom  or  ever  read  of  his  paying  any  regard  to  what 
had  been  recorded  for  the  guidance  of  posterity.  On 
this  occasion,  however,  he  did. 

The  lands  or  mountain-ground,  including  several  cities, 
on  which  this  people  resided,  had  been  awarded  to  them 
"as  a  gratuity  for  having  abandoned  their  native  country 
and  joined  the  Israelites,  sharing  the  hazard  of  the  war 
and  the  troubles  they  encountered  in  the  desert:"*  and 
their  singular  escape  was  ascribed  by  Saul  himself  to 
their  having  "  showed  kindness  to  all  the  children  of  Israel, 
when  they  came  up  out  of  Egypt.  So  the  Kenites  de- 
parted from  among  the  Amalekites."t  Such  a  movement 
might  have  accounted  for  this  people  being  found  again  at 
a  considerable  distance,  were  we  not  informed  that,  so 
early  as  the  time  of  the  Judges,  the  northern  parts  of 
Canaan  being  cleared  of  all  oppression  from  the  Moabites, 
by  the  conquest  and  death  of  their  king,  who  had  estab- 
lished his  capital  at  the  Kenites'  old  abode,  Jericho,  the 
city  of  palm-trees — and  the  land  having  rest  for  eighty 
years — one  of  "the  children  of  the  Father-in-law  of 
Moses,"  named  Heber,  "had  severed  himself  from  the 
Kenites,  and  pitched  his  tent  unto  the  plain  of  Zaanaim, 
which  is  by  Kodesh" — that  is  Kedesh-naphtali,|  one  of 
the  Cities  of  Refuge,  north  of  the  Sea  of  Galilee,  in  the 
tribe  of  Naphtali.§  But  wherever  they  went,  to  the  ene- 
mies of  Israel  this  people  were  ever  enemies,  and  ready 
to  assist  in  delivering  them  from  their  oppressors.  Even 
a  female  branch  of  this,  the  second  family  to  which  I 
alluded,  Jael,  the  wife  of  Heber,  just  mentioned,  was 
therefore  by  Deborah  the  prophetess  pronounced  to  be 
"blessed  above  women,"  and  especially  among  her  own 
people,  or  "  women  in  the  tent,"  because  she  had  been 
the  death  of  Sisera,  the  general  of  the  enemy's  army. 

*  Josephus,  lib.  v.  cap.  2.          t  1  Samuel  xv.  6. 

$  Judges  iv.  6.  §  Judges  iv.  11,  and  Josh.  xx.  7, 


THE  DOMESTIC  CONSTITUTION.  167 

The  last  household  to  which  I  have  referred  now  comes 
into  view,  and  is,  if  possible,  more  conspicuous  than  the 
first.  If  the  first  resembled  Abraham,  in  leaving  their 
father's  house,  and  travelling  into  Canaan,  the  second 
more  closely  resembled  that  patriarch's  self-denied  resi- 
dence in  the  land  of  promise.  To  them  it  never  could 
wear  such  an  aspect  as  it  did  to  him,  and  yet  we  shall  see 
with  what  high-toned  self-denial  they  dwelt  in  it. 

The  children  of  Israel,  it  is  well  known,  were  so  sadly 
and  frequently  given  to  idolatry,  that  nothing  cured  them 
till  they  were  carried  away  into  Babylon.  But  here — 
since  the  kingdom  of  Christ  was  not  yet  set  up,  which  in 
its  purity,  when  properly  administered,  is  invulnerable — 
here  was  one  family  found  strong  enough  to  resist  what  I 
believe  nothing  else,  save  the  invincible  power  of  the 
family  constitution,  could  have  resisted.  The  name  of 
the  Father  or  Head  had  been  Hemath,*  that  of  his  Son  or 
descendant,  Rechab,  and  that  of  his  Son,  Jonadab,t  now 
become  the  Father.  Though  not  by  natural  descent  a 
child  of  promise,  yet  jealous  for  the  honor  of  the  only  true 
God,  and  foreseeing  that  the  degeneracy,  now  rapidly 
increasing,  would  grow  into  more  ungodliness,  Jonadab 
takes  his  measures  accordingly,  and  lays  his  commands 
upon  his  children.  His  advice  to  them  he  leaves  with  all 
the  authority  of  a  law.  Abraham,  it  will  be  remembered, 
though  the  land  was  promised  to  his  posterity,  carefully 
abstained  from  laying  any  claim  to  it ;  and,  purchasing 
nothing  more  than  a  grave  there,  he  sojourned  as  in  a 
strange  country,  dwelling  in  tents  with  Isaac  and  Jacob, 
the  heirs  with  him  of  the  same  promise.  And  now,  that 
the  whole  land  is  given  to  his  posterity  for  a  possession, 
here  was  one  man  who,  though  he  had  no  such  promise 
to  animate  his  hopes  or  those  of  his  posterity,  seemed  as 

*  1  Chron.  ii.  55.  t  2  Kings  x.  15. 


168  THE  MORAL  POWER  OF 

though  he  had  caught  the  mantle  of  the  patriarch;  at 
least,  like  him,  revering  the  purpose  of  the  God  of  Abra- 
ham, he  "  commanded  his  children,  and  his  household 
after  him,"  in  a  most  peculiar  strain.  Setting  the  ex- 
ample himself,  and  succeeding  with  his  family,  they  rose 
to  such  a  degree  of  self-denied  morality,  even  among  the 
Israelites,  in  their  "  land  of  corn  and  wine,"  as  to  abstain 
from  comforts  which  Abraham  himself  had  been  permitted 
to  enjoy.  What  is  very  remarkable,  these  Children  not 
only  venerated  their  Father's  authority  as  long  as  they 
lived,  but  from  one  generation  to  another,  after  several 
centuries  had  passed  away,  their  descendants  are  held  up 
by  God  himself,  as  rigidly  adhering  to  their  first  Father's 
advice,  and  even  "  keeping  all  his  commandments."  Re- 
jecting all  interference  with  the  holy  land,  they  continued 
to  say  that  they  only  "  sojourned  "  in  it.  Tending  their 
cattle  on  the  plains  of  Naphtali,  and  never  once  sowing 
any  seed,  they  built  no  house,  they  planted  no  vineyard, 
nor  had  any,  but  all  their  days,  likp  Abraham,  they  dwelt 
in  tents  !  What  a  contrast  to  every  Israelitish  family,  now 
so  indulged,  when,  if  a  Father  had  built  a  new  house  and 
not  dedicated  it,  or  planted  a  vineyard  and  not  yet  eaten 
of  the  fruit  of  it,  he  was  exempted  from  war,  arid  sent 
home  to  enjoy  the  fruit  of  all  his  labor  !  But  besides  all 
this,  in  obedience  also  to  their  Father's  request  and  in- 
junction, this  family  had  not  only  no  vineyard,  but  they 
had  entirely  abstained  from  even  the  use  of  wine  ;  and 
driven  into  Jerusalem  by  an  invading  army,  when  re- 
quested by  a  prophet  of  God,  in  the  chambers  of  the 
Temple,  to  deviate  from  their  usual  habit,  they  pointedly 
declined  in  the  following  terms  : — "  We  will  drink  no 
wine :  for  Jonadab,  the  son  of  Rechab,  our  father,  com- 
manded us,  saying,  Ye  shall  drink  no  wine,  neither  ye, 
nor  your  Sons  for  ever.  Neither  shall  ye  build  house, 
nor  sow  seed,  nor  plant  vineyard,  nor  have  any :  but  all 


THE  DOMESTIC  CONSTITUTION.  1(59 

your  days  ye  shall  dwell  in  tents,  that  ye  may  live  many 
days  in  the  land,  wherein  ye  be  Strangers.*     Thus  have 

*  To  the  Mosaic  economy  there  cannot  be  a  greater  injustice  done 
than  to  represent  it  as  ha.ving  been  unfriendly  to  the  rest  of  the 
world.  Peculiar  in  a  high  degree,  and,  in  most  of  its  observances, 
exclusive,  it  certainly  was  as  it  required  to  be,  since  it  was  meant 
to  preserve  Divine  light  and  love  from  being  entirely  extinguished 
among  men.  Still,  like  a  city  set  on  a  hill,  it  was  intended  by  its 
Founder  to  be  seen  at  a  distance;  or,  as  an  elevated  light,  it  was 
expected  to  convey  information  far  beyond  the  bounds  of  Palestine. 
Foreigners  from  every  quarter  would  see  or  hear,  and  draw  near ; 
and  all  such  were  to  be  welcomed.  The  friendly  benevolence  of 
the  Jewish  theocracy  was  indeed  very  conspicuous  in  the  laws 
respecting  the  Stranger.  Dwelling  in  Canaan,  he  found  himself 
incorporated  with  a  protected  and  highly-privileged  order  of  men. 
For  although  a  universal  religion  was  no  more  the  genius  of  that 
economy  than  a  universal  monarchy,  the  Israelites  were  command- 
ed, in  various  ways,  to  encourage  the  residence  of  strangers  among 
them.  To  enforce  an  entrance  into  all  the  provisions  of  the  cove- 
nant made  with  Abraham  upon  these  strangers  was  never  once 
imagined  or  hinted  :  but  though  not  circumcised,  and  consequently 
not  entitled  to  various  favors  common  to  every  Israelite,  still  they 
had  their  choice  and  their  liberty.  At  the  door  of  Judaism,  indeed, 
any  man  might  knock,  and  implore  admittance,  according  to  the 
laws  of  entrance  ;  and  every  female  might  so  come  and  put  her 
trust  under  the  wing  of  the  Lord  God  of  Israel.  By  intermarriage, 
therefore,  such  females  became  incorporated  with  the  nation,  and 
were  even  included  in  the  line  of  the  Messiah's  ancestry.  This 
was  the  converse  of  an  Israelite  marrying  a  heathen,  without 
any  regard  to  a  change  of  principle.  In  reference  to  this  entrance 
into  the  congregation,  several  restrictions  were  imposed  on  a  few 
tribes  in  the  vicinity ;  but  the  record  of  such  exceptions  is  an  ad- 
ditional proof  of  the  extent  to  which  the  privilege  was  carried. 
Even  these  regulations,  however,  referred  to  the  right  of  full 
entrance,  and  the  parties  passing  beyond  the  middle  wall  of  par- 
tition. To  this,  after  all,  no  one  was  compelled,  and,  retaining 
his  liberty,  the  stranger  in  Canaan  might  avail  himself  of  moral 
and  religious  advantages,  which  could  no  where  else  be  found. 
Even  at  the  dedication  of  the  temple,  when  every  remnant  of  the 
devoted  nations  was  subdued,  and  the  Jewish  economy  had  reached 
the  acme  of  its  order  and  beauty,  Solomon  standing  before  the  altar 
of  the  Lord,  and  imagining  not  in  vain,  that  the  Stranger  from  a 
far  country,  hearing  of  Jehovah's  great  name,  would  come  and  pray 
15 


170  THE  MORAL  POWER  OF 

we  obeyed  the  voice  of  Jonadab,  the  Son  of  Rechab  our 
Father,  in  all  that  he  charged  us,  to  drink  no  wine,  all 
our  days,  we,  our  wives,  our  sons,  nor  our  daughters :  nor 
to  build  houses  for  us  to  dwell  in  :  neither  have  we  vine- 
yard, nor  field,  nor  seed  :  but  we  have  dwelt  in  tents,  and 
have  obeyed  and  done  according  to  all  that  Jonadab  our 
Father  commanded  us.  But  it  came  to  pass,  when 
Nebuchadnezzar,  King  of  Babylon,  came  up  into  the  land, 
that  we  said,  Come  and  let  us  go  to  Jerusalem  for  fear  of 

towards  the  temple  then  completed,  he  offers  up  a  special  request 
for  such  men  as  Jonadab  and  his  posterity — the  strangers  of  the 
land.  For  them,  too,  a  court  had  been  erected,  separated  indeed 
from  that  of  the  Jews  by  the  middle- wall  of  partition, — a  distinction 
which  was  reserved  for  the  Messiah  to  break  down,  not  only  that 
the  Jew  might  not  "trouble  them  which,  from  among  the  Gen- 
tiles, were  turned  to  God,"  but  that  these  Gentiles  might  become, 
in  the  fullest  sense,  fellow-heirs,  and  of  the  same  body,  and  joint 
partakers  of  God's  promise  in  Christ  by  the  gospel.  Meanwhile, 
the  stranger  belonged  to  an  order  of  men  as  highly  favored  as 
was  possible,  in  consistency  with  the  theocracy  itself  not  being 
invaded.  Though  he  could  not  eat  the  Passover,  nor  present  other 
offerings  prescribed  by  the  legislator,  he  could  approach  the  priest 
with  his  burnt  sacrifice,  and,  a  worshipper  of  the  true  God,  he  of- 
fered it,  according  to  a  law  laid  down  by  Moses  from  God. — For 
these  strangers  the  Sabbatical  or  seventh  year  was  intended  to  be 
a  year  of  joy  and  instruction  equally  with  all  Israel. — The  spon- 
taneous produce  of  the  ground  that  year  was  as  free  to  them  as  to 
any  Jew,  and,  at  the  reading  of  the  whole  law  that  year,  they  were 
intended  to  be  present. — Between  the  natural  posterity  of  Abraham 
and  these  strangers,  the  civil  or  criminal  judge  was  solemnly  en- 
joined to  hold  an  equal  balance — to  them,  in  case  of  unintentional 
death,  the  gates  6f  the  city  of  refuge  stood  open  equally  with  the 
Israelite — and,  to  crown  the  whole,  they  were  associate!},  in  nu- 
merous passages,  with  the  fatherless,  and  the  widow,  and  the  hoary 
head,  as  objects  of  compassion  or  tender  regard.  "  If  a  stranger 
sojourn  with  thee  in  your  land,  ye  shall  not  vex  him :  the  stranger 
that  dwelleth  with  you  shall  be  unto  you  as  one  born  among  you, 
and  thou  shalt  love  him  as  thyself."  Such  was  the  genius  of  a  dis- 
pensation which  has  often  been  charged,  most  unwarrantably,  with 
an  unrelenting,  severe,  and  unreasonable  character,  by  the  super- 
ficial and  prejudiced  observer, 


THE  DOMESTIC  CONSTITUTION.  171 

the  army  of  the  Chaldeans,  and  for  fear  of  the  army  of 
the  Syrians :  so  we  dwell  at  Jerusalem."* — That  is,  only 
until  this  calamity  is  overpast. 

Ere  this  time,  often  had  Judah  as  well  as  Israel  grieved 
the  Almighty  by  their  dissolute  conduct ;  and,  though  by 
Him  nourished  and  brought  up  as  Children,  often  had 
they  rebelled  against  their  heavenly  Father  !  By  this  time, 
alas !  they  had  not  only  mingled  among  the  heathen,  but 
learned  their  works  ;  and  while  Jonadab's  posterity  thus 
lived,  their  Sons  and  their  daughters  they  had  even  sacri- 
ficed to  be  devoured  in  the  flames  in  honor  of  the  idols 
of  Canaan  !  Amidst  all  this  apostacy  and  degeneracy, 
what  an  example  and  a  contrast  of  filial  regard  did  these 
Rechabites  exhibit!  and,  before  noticing  their  Father's 
deep  and  judicious  concern  for  his  posterity,  what  a  stand- 
ing reproof  were  they  to  the  mostrhighly  favored  branch  of 
Abraham's  Children  !  Jonadab,  with  whom  these  family- 
rules  originated,  had  long  since  gone  down  to  the  grave  : 
not  less  than  three  hundred  years  had  passed  away ;  and 
naw,  that  we  may  hear  the  secret  of  such  rigid  virtue, 
these,  his  descendants,  must  be  drawn  from  their  ob- 
scurity, and  that  by  the  prophet  of  God.  Surely,  when 
all  the  circumstances  are  observed,  we  cease  to  wonder 
that  they  should  be  handed  down  to  the  end  of  time  in 
such  terms  as  these  : — "  Thus  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts,  the 
God  of  Israel ;  Go  tell  the  men  of  Judah,  and  the  inhab- 
itants of  Jerusalem,  Will  ye  not  receive  instruction  to 
hearken  to  my  words  ?  saith  Jehovah.  The  words  of 
Jonadab,  the  son  of  Rechab,  that  he  commanded  his  Sons 
not  to  drink  wine,  are  performed ;  for  unto  this  day  they 
drink  none,  but  obey  their  Father's  commandment :  not- 
withstanding I  have  spoken  unto  you,  rising  early  and 
speaking;  but  ye  hearkened  not  unto  me.  I  have  sent 
also  unto  you  all  my  servants  the  prophets,  rising  up  early 
*  Jeremiah  xxxv.  6— 11. 


172  THE  MORAL  POWER  OF 

and  sending  them,  saying,  Return  ye  now  every  man 
from  his  evil  way,  and  amend  your  doings,  and  go  not 
after  other  gods,  to  serve  them,  and  ye  shall  dwell  in  the 
land  which  I  have  given  to  you  and  to  your  fathers :  but 
ye  have  not  inclined  your  ear,  nor  hearkened  unto  me. 
Because  the  sons  of  Jonadab,  the  son  of  Rechab,  have 
performed  the  commandment  of  their  Father  which  he  com- 
manded them;  but  this  people  have  not  hearkened  unto 
me :  therefore,  thus  saith  the  Lord  God  of  Hosts,  the  God 
of  Israel,  Behold  I  will  bring  upon  Judah,  and  upon  all 
the  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem,  all  the  evil  that  I  have  pro- 
nounced against  them ;  because  I  have  spoken  unto  them, 
but  they  have  not  heard,  and  I  have  called  unto  them,  but 
they  have  not  answered.  And  Jeremiah  said  unto  the 
house  of  the  Rechabites,  Thus  saith  the  Lord  of  Hosts, 
the  God  of  Israel,  Because  ye  have  obeyed  the  command- 
ment of  Jonadab,  your  Father,  and  kept  all  his  precepts, 
and  done  according  to  all  that  he  commanded  you :  there- 
fore thus  saith  the  Lord  of  Hosts,  the  God  of  Israel, 
Jonadab,  the  son  of  Rechab,  shall  not  want  a  man^to 

STAND  BEFORE  ME  FOR  EVER  !  " 

Moses  in  his  day  had  promised  much,  but  this  is  more. 
Judah,  as  a  body,  was  just  on  the  eve  of  being  banished 
from  "  before  God ; "  and  was  there  ever  to  be  a  repre- 
sentative for  Jonadab  before  Him,  upheld  and  received  as 
his  accepted  worshipper,  even  when  the  Jews,  as  a  com- 
munity, were  cast  out  of  his  sight  ?  So  it  should  seem. 
We  need  not  suppose,  as  some  have  done,  that  they  were 
actually  introduced  into  the  temple  service,  although  after- 
wards there  is  something  very  like  it ;  but  surely  the  ex- 
pression implies  as  much  as  we  have  already  hinted.  This 
promise  of  God  by  Jeremiah,  could  not  now  be  of  large 
extent;  for  the  Kenite  by  this  time  had  "wasted  away;" 
but  it  certainly  speaks  of  long  continuance,  and  indeed 
bears  a  striking  resemblance  to  that  which  overcame  with 


THE  DOMESTIC  CONSTITUTION.  173 

gratitude  the  heart  of  David,  King  of  Israel,  when  he  ex- 
claimed,— "Moreover,  thou  hast  spoken  of  thy  servant's 
house  for  a  great  while  to  come."  What  though  but  little 
is  yet  known  of  the  fulfilment  of  the  promise  ?  Doubtless 
it  was  performed,  and  perhaps  may  be  so  to  this  hour ;  at 
least,  it  seems  not  improbable  that  for  ages  some  of  this 
singular  family  may  have  been  found  among  the  spiritual 
worshippers  of  God. 

Let  us  see,  however,  whether  we  can  find  any  trace 
of  this  family,  or  of  the  Kenites,  of  which  they  formed  a 
branch.  The  reader  is  aware,  that  when  Jeremiah  called 
them  out,  this  was  not  the  first  time  they  had  engaged  the 
notice  of  a  prophet.  From  the  top  of  the  rock,  above  a 
thousand  years  before,  Balaam  had  intimated  as  much  as, 
that,  though  they  should  gradually  decline  in  numbers, 
they  would  remain  in  existence  at  the  captivity ;  arid  even 
then  be  "  carried  away,"  but  he  does  not  say  destroyed. 
"  Nevertheless,"  said  he,  "  the  Kenite  shall  be  wasted  until 
Asshur  shall  carry  thee  away  captive;"*  or,  according  to 
another  reading, — "How  long  shalt  thou  be  able  to  re- 
main? Until  Assyria  carry  thee  away  captive."  Here, 
then,  is  a  remnant  of  them  in  the  days  of  Jeremiah;  and 
they  are  brought  forward,  not  to  be  destroyed,  but  pre- 
served, and  handed  down  to  posterity.  Balaam  seems  to 
send  them  to  the  East ;  and  so  with  Judah,  the  tribe  to 
which  they  adhered,  they  went ;  for  the  ten  tribes  were 
already  gone.  It  seems  also  to  be  agreeable  to  very  an- 
cient tradition,  that  they  were  regarded  with  more  than 
common  respect,  even  in  being  "carried  away."  The 
title  of  the  seventieth  Psalm,  according  to  the  Septuagint 
(i.e.  our  71st  Psalm),  is  worthy  of  notice;  a  psalm  "of  or 
for  the  sons  of  Jonadab,  and  the  first  who  were  carried 
captive ; "  that  is,  when  Daniel,  and  his  companions,  and 
several  others,  were  transported  to  Babylon.  The  au- 

*  Numb.  xxiv.  22. 
15* 


174  THE  MORAL  POWER  OF 

thority  of  these  titles  it  is  unnecessary  to  discuss;  but 
this  one  "  being  found  in  all  the  copies  of  the  Septuagint 
affords  reason  to  conclude,  that  there  was  such  a  tradition 
concerning  the  sons  of  Jonadab,  when  this  version  of  the 
Psalms  was  made."*  Waving,  however,  this  conjecture, 
after  such  a  promise  as  that  by  Jeremiah,  we  are  gratified 
by  finding  this  people  survive  even  the  captivity.  Seventy 
years  pass  away,  and  the  Jews  return  to  Palestine ;  but  so 
do  the  Rechabites,  and  still  in  character.  As  they  had 
not  been  involved  with  the  ten  tribes,  so  they  are  not  al- 
lowed to  remain  in  the  dispersion  ;  and  whether  they  were 
carried  away  with  the  chief  of  the  captivity  of  Judah  or 
not,  they  were  among  the  first  who  returned  to  the  Holy 
Land.  "  And  the  families  of  the  Scribes,"  says  the  sacred 
historian,  after  the  captivity  ;  "  the  families  of  the  Scribes, 
which  dwelt  at  Jabez,  the  Tirathites,  the  Shimeathites, 
and  Suchathites — these  are  the  Kenites,  that  came  of 
Hemath,  the  Father  of  the  house  of  Rechab."  Accord- 
ing to  another  reading,  the  office,  the  character,  and 
manners  of  this  people  are  pointed  out.  "  The  race  of 
the  Scribes  that  dwelt  at  Jabez,  called  porters,  obedient 
and  dwelling  in  tents,  are  the  Kenites,"  &,c.  The  same 
opinion  seems  to  have  dictated  the  Vulgate  translation : — 
"  Cognationes  quoque  scribarum  liabitantium  in  Jabcs, 
cane?ites,  atque  resonantcs,  ct  in  tabernaculis  commor antes. 
Hi  sunt  Oincei,  qui  venerunt  de  Calore  patris  domus 
Recliab."  This  passage,  therefore,  however  rendered, 
sufficiently  identifies  this  singular  race,  whose  history  we 
have  now  traced  down  to  the  time  of  Ezra,  from  that  of 
Moses, — a  period  of  not  less  than  from  eleven  to  twelve 
hundred  years ! 

It  seems,  however,  we  are  not  even  then  to  bid  the 
Rechabites  farewell.     Even  at  the  present  day  they  are 
supposed  to  be  in  existence ;  and  when  once  the  reported 
*  Blaney. 


THE  DOMESTIC  CONSTITUTION.  175 

seat  of  this  little  tribe  is  properly  visited,  it  is  not  im- 
probable that  this  will  lend  peculiar  force  to  the  promise, 
and  bring  it  to  remembrance :  "  Jonadab,  the  son  of 
Rechab,  shall  not  want  a  man  to  stand  before  me  for 
ever."  Mr.  Wolfe,  the  missionary,  himself  a  convert 
from  Judaism  to  Christianity,  is  at  present  visiting  the 
East.  After  going  into  Persia,  if  he  survives,  he  intends 
to  visit  the  alleged  seat  of  the  Rechabites.  Meanwhile, 
writing  from  the  spot  where  he  first  mentions  this  in- 
tention, he  says, — "  There  are  at  Mousul,  on  the  banks 
of  the  Tigris,  200  families,  who  have  one  synagogue ; 
one  college  for  young  men  ;  one  high  priest ;  and  they 
are  under  the  order  of  Shaul  (Saul),  the  prince  of  the 
captivity,  residing  at  Bagdad.  All  the  Jews  in  this 
country  believe  that  the  Beni  Khaibr,  near  Mecca  and 
Medina  (in  Arabia),  are  the  descendants  of  the  ancient 
Rechabites.  The  Mufti  from  Merdeen  gave  me  a  long 
description  of  the  Beni  Khaibr ;  but  as  I  have  not  seen 
them,  I  will  not,  at  present,  give  you  his  description  of 
them  ;  they  are,  however,  worthy  of  notice.  Those  Jews 
of  Khaibr  gave  infinite  trouble  to  Mohammed,  and  he 
never  was  able  to  compel  them  to  embrace  his  religion. — 
See  Sale's  Note  to  chap.  48  in  the  Alcoran,  and  D'Her- 
belot,  Bibliotheque  Orientale.*  On  my  return  from 
Persia,  if  the  Lord  will,  I  hope  to  go  to  Jidda,  and  from 
thence  to  Khaibr,  accompanied  by  an  Arab."f 

Again,  in  his  Journal  of  27th  June,  1824,  from  Bassora, 
on  the  Euphrates,  having  met  with  a  Jew,  named  More 
Yehuda,  born  at  Sanaa,  in  Yemen,  Arabia,  who  informed 

*Mr.  W.  might  have  added,  that  Mohammed,  whose  health  had 
been  declining  for  four  years,  died,  believing  that  he  had  been 
poisoned,  at  Khaibr,  by  a  Jewish  female.  If  so,  and  these  were 
indeed  the  Rechabites,  what  a  parallel  would  it  form  to  Jael,  the 
wife  of  Heber ! 

t  Jewish  Repository  for  June,  1825,  p.  222. 


176  THE  MORAL  POWER  OF 

him,  that  in  that  city  there  were  4,000  families  of  Jews, 
he  adds, — "He  told  me  that  the  Jews  at  Sanaa  might 
easily  procure  me  access  to  the  Rechabites,  who  are  only 
eight  days  distant  from  them.  He  observed,  that  the  Jews 
would  bring  me  thither,  with  a  subtilty  like  that  with 
which  Jacob  deceived  Isaac  his  Father."  After  a  long 
conversation  with  this  man,  who  is  a  Jewish  Rabbi, 
Mr.  W.  adds,—"  The  following  fact  was  told  me  by  the 
Jew,  More  Yehuda.  Rabbi  Gad  of  Jerusalem,  set  off, 
thirty-five  years  ago,  1789,  with  a  caravan  from  Mokka  to 
Sanaa.  The  Arabs  composing  the  caravan  were  then  at 
war  with  the  Rechabites,  Beni  Khaibr.  The  Rechabites 
attacked  the  caravan,  and  destroyed  them.  Rabbi  Gad, 
in  his  anguish,  used  the  exclamation  common  among  the 
Jews,  viz.  '  Hear  Israel,  the  Lord  our  God  is  one  Lord ! ' 
The  chief  of  the  Rechabites  hearing  it,  gave  orders  to 
stop  the  massacre.  Rabbi  Gad  was  brought  to  their  tents 
and  questioned  ;  they  asked  him,  How  matters  stood  at 
Jerusalem? — Whether  Israel  still  sinned?  and  whether 
the  temple  was  not  yet  built? — They  dismissed  Gad  with 
presents,  and  brought  him  in  safety  to  Sanaa."* 

The  counsels  of  Jonadab  to  his  children  must  not, 
however  yet  be  dismissed,  since  they  will  be  found,  not 
only  to  give  uncommon  interest  to  the  preceding  narrative, 
but  tend  to  illustrate,  in  such  a  striking  manner,  the  sub- 
ject on  account  of  which  the  whole  has  been  introduced 
— The  moral  power  of  the  Family  Constitution. 

Although  the  principal  design  of  God,  in  desiring  Jer- 
emiah to  bring  forward  these  Rechabites,  and  set  wine 
before  them,  was  to  commend  filial  obedience,  he  would 
by  no  means  have  so  commended  this,  and  so  commended 
Jonadab,  had  there  been  either  weakness  or  folly,  un- 
necessary precaution  or  undue  severity  in  his  commands. 
On  the  contrary,  when  the  signs  of  the  times  in  which  he 

*  Jewish  Repository  for  September,  1825,  p.  344. 


THE  DOMESTIC  CONSTITUTION.  177 

lived  are  simply  glanced  at,  it  is  presumed  the  reader 
cannot  fail  to  admire  the  sagacity  and  the  tender  parental 
feeling  of  this  Father :  a  sagacity  and  deep  concern,  by 
which,  in  connection  with  the  knowledge  and  worship  of 
the  true  God,  he  infused  a  degree  of  moral  power  into  the 
constitution  of  his  family,  such  as  in  the  history  of  man 
has  probably  never  been  surpassed,  if  equalled.  Change 
of  circumstances  unquestionably  call  for  change  of  coun- 
sel ;  but  still,  in  his  case,  with  a  family  at  command,  let 
us  not  fail  to  remark  what  parental  counsel  can  do. 

This  eminent  man  lived  at  a  period  when  various  im- 
portant prophecies  had  been  left  by  Elijah,  like  so  many 
thunder-clouds,  to  burst  upon  Israel  after  he  was  gone ; 
and,  from  the  vicinity  of  Jonadab's  residence,  as  well  as 
his  general  character,  it  may  be  fairly  presumed,  that  if 
he  was  not  present  when  the  grand  question  was  decided 
between  Baal  and  the  true  God,  about  twenty  years  before 
this,  and  if  he  had  not  often  conversed  with  Elijah,  he 
surely  had  with  Elisha,  who  was  then  living.  Another 
contemporary  of  Jonadab's  was  Jehu,  a  character  of  a 
very  different  description,  but  still,  of  all  the  monarchs 
who  reigned  in  Israel,  he  was  the  only  one  who  was  ever 
anointed  by  the  commandment  of  God.  A  divine  sanction 
was  thus  given  to  this  monarch  ;  for,  when  a  man  was  so 
anointed,  it  always  implied  that  he  was  raised  up  for  a 
special  purpose.  For  one  hundred  years,  and  particularly 
since  the  days  of  Jeroboam,  idolatry  had  been  awfully  on 
the  advance  :  Jehu  was  therefore  anointed  to  destroy  it, 
which  perfectly  accounts  for  Jonadab  saying,  that  his 
heart  was  with  Jehu's  in  such  a  design.  The  first  meet- 
ing of  these  two  men  is  drawn  with  that  point  and  beauty 
by  which  the  Scriptures  are  distinguished  above  all  human 
composition.*  No  sooner  was  Jehu  anointed  king  than 
he  became  the  instrument  of  accomplishing  the  predic- 

*  2  Kings  x.  1—28. 


178  THE  MORAL  POWER  OF 

tions  of  Elijah,  now  gone,  and  particularly  two  judgments 
of  the  Almighty,  the  death  of  Ahab's  posterity,  and  the 
destruction  of  Baal,  with  all  his  prophets.  The  steps  of 
Jehu  had  been  marked  with  blood  wherever  he  went :  all 
whom  he  met,  or  who  had  met  with  him,  fell  before  his 
sword,  or  were  ordered  to  go  behind  him — but  when 
Jonadab  comes  out  to  meet  him,  his  whole  deportment  is 
changed.  So  superior  is  moral  worth  to  mere  rank,  that, 
in  some  sense,  Jehu  appears  to  be  the  inferior  of  the  two. 
He  first  inquires  after  Jonadab's  sentiments,  then  takes 
his  hand  in  solemn  covenant,  and  at  last,  like  the  prime- 
minister  of  Candace,  who  invited  Philip  into  his  chariot, 
having  seated  Jonadab  by  his  side,  he  seems  evidently 
elated  by  the  sanction  of  such  a  character.  "  Come," 
says  he,  "see  my  zeal  for  Jehovah."  Jonadab  being  thus 
driven  to  the  king's  palace  at  Samaria,  he  was  present, 
and  concurred  in  the  destruction  of  Baal  and  his  temple, 
with  all  his  prophets.  Such  a  scene  was  surely  not  to  be 
concealed  from  his  family  at  home  ;  and  so,  it  seems,  it 
was  not  ;  for,  in  -  perfect  harmony  with  this  spirit,  one  is 
now  delighted  to  find,  at  the  distance  of  nearly  three 
hundred  years,  additional  light  thrown  on  his  character, 
and  to  find  especially  that  he  paid  such  attention  to  the 
welfare  and  continuance  of  his  family.  Hence  the 
general  consistency  of  his  character  as  a  good  man  ;  for 
the  man  who  is  consistent  in  his  family  is  consistent  every 
where,  and  almost  in  every  thing. 

It  is  however  obvious,  that  the  counsels  of  Jonadab 
seemed  to  encroach  on  the  natural  liberty  of  his  Children; 
for  what  law  of  either  God  or  man  has  forbidden  the  use 
of  wine,  the  planting  of  vineyards,  or  the  building  of 
houses  ?  Surrounded  as  they  were  too  by  the  wine  of 
Lebanon,  and  the  wine  of  Helbon,  and  the  grapes  of 
Eshcol ;  dwelling  in  a  land  celebrated  for  its  "  corn  and 
wine,"  his  counsels  must  have  seemed  the  more  severe. 


THE  DOMESTIC  CONSTITUTION.  179 

But  if  the  snares  and  temptations  of  his  day  were  peculiar, 
and  if  he  saw  that  such  restrictions  were  called  for,  on 
the  principle  of  giving  up  a  part  to  secure  the  whole ; 
nay,  if  he  saw  that  city-life,  or  a  permanent  abode  under 
the  vine  or  fig-tree,  and  the  use  of  wine,  were  associated 
with  such  snares  in  Israel,  as  in  those  times  would  inev- 
itably lead  his  Children  not  only  into  idolatry,  but  idol- 
atrous vices ;  then  his  character  was  as  eminent  for 
sagacity  and  forethought,  as  it  was  for  parental  care  and 
kindness. 

Now,  in  his  day,  and  after  it,  what  was  the  actual 
course  of  events  in  Israel  ?  There  is  a  progress  in  sin, 
and  though,  when  Jonadab  lived,  he  saw  it  necessary  to 
be  thus  strict,  his  advice  and  commands  were  given  under 
an  impression,  that  the  people  among  whom  they  dwelt 
might  wax  worse  and  worse.  Accordingly,  about  ninety 
or  a  hundred  years  afterwards,  by  the  time  of  Hosea,  we 
hear  the  Almighty  threatening  to  "  take  away  the  corn, 
and  the  wine,  and  oil,"  because  they  did  not  know  or 
acknowledge  Him  in  these  his  gifts ;  and  no  wonder,  for 
then  they  "looked  to  other  gods,  and  loved  flagons  of 
wine."  A  contemporary  prophet,  Amos,  says,  "  Ye  have 
built  houses  of  hewn  stone,  but  ye  shall  not  dwell  in  them ; 
ye  have  planted  pleasant  vineyards,  but  ye  shall  not  drink 
wine  of  them:"  and  why?  Because  they  were  at  ease 
in  Zion,  and  trusted  or  dwelt  securely  on  the  mountain  of 
Samaria.  "They  lay,"  he  says,  "upon  beds  of  ivory, 
and  stretched  themselves  on  couches  ;  they  drunk  wine 
in  bowls,  and  anointed  themselves  with  the  finest  per- 
fumes." If  such  were  their  family  habits,  their  professed 
religious  services  were  of  a  kindred  nature  ;  since  "  they 
drank  the  wine  of  the  condemned  in  the  house  of  their 
god."  Such  a  course  was  not  likely  here  to  stop.  By 
the  time  of  Isaiah,  therefore,  the  scene  was  awful. 
"They  have  erred,"  said  he,  "  through  wine,  and  through 


180  THE  MORAL  POWER  OF 

strong  drink  are  out  of  the  way;  the  priest  and  the 
prophet  have  erred  through  strong  drink,  they  are  swal- 
lowed up  of  wine ;  they  err  in  vision,  they  stumble  in 
judgment."  The  very  next  year  after  this,  Judah  being 
now  equally  corrupt  with  Israel,  we  hear  king  Ahaz 
saying,  "  Because  the  gods  of  Syria  help  them,  therefore 
will  I  sacrifice  to  them,  that  they  may  help  me," — so  "  he 
made  him  altars  in  every  corner  of  Jerusalem,  and  in 
every  several  city  of  Judah  he  made  high  places  to  burn 
incense  unto  other  gods."  And  now,  that  we  come 
down  to  Jeremiah,  the  course  of  degeneracy  is  complete. 
"  Where  are  thy  gods  that  thou  hast  made  ?"  he  inquired  ; 
"  let  them  arise,  if  they  can  save  thee  in  the  time  of 
trouble  :  for  according  to  the  number  of  thy  cities  are  thy 
gods,  O  Judah!  Seest  thou  now,"  said  Jehovah,  "what 
they  do  in  the  cities  of  Judah  and  in  the  streets  of  Jeru- 
salem? The  children  gather  wood,  and  the  fathers 
kindle  the  fire,  and  the  women  knead  their  dough,  to 
make  cakes  to  the  queen  of  heaven,  and  to  pour  out 
drink-offerings  unto  other  gods,  that  they  may  provoke  me 
to  anger." 

The  counsels  of  Jonadab  must  now  appear  in  their 
proper  light.  No  such  Parent  would  have  imposed  such 
restrictions  on  his  posterity  without  some  powerful  reason : 
but  if  the  whole  are  thus  proved  to  bear  on  idolatrous 
customs,  or  upon  indulgences,  which  in  such  time  gen- 
erally and  inevitably  led  to  idolatry,  and  if,  by  following 
these  counsels,  Jonadab's  posterity  had  been  so  far  pre- 
served, there  is  a  peculiar  propriety  in  their  being  now 
brought  forward,  not  only  as  examples  of  filial  obedience, 
but  to  condemn  Judah  before  being  banished  to  Babylon 
for  these  very  sins — idolatry,  and  licentiousness  its  in- 
variable associate. 

The  commands  of  Jonadab  have,  it  is  true,  been  ac- 
counted for  on  other  principles.  I  am  perfectly  aware  of 


THE  DOMESTIC  CONSTITUTION.  IgJ 

the  abhorrence  of  wine  professed  by  the  Arabian  tribes, 
a  feeling  of  which  Mohammed  availed  himself  sixteen 
hundred  years  after  the  time  of  Jonadab  :  and  I  do  not 
forget  the  words  of  an  ancient  historian,  so  similar  to 
those  of  Jonadab,  when  describing  the  Arabians.*  But 
the  Kenites,  of  which  the  Rechabites  formed  a  family, 
were  not,  properly  speaking,  Arabians,  and  for  ages  had 
lived  in  cities  in  the  south  of  Judah,  and  "  among  the 
people."  No,  the  counsels  of  Jonadab  originated  with 
himself,  and  his  posterity  referred  to  him  and  no  JiigJier, 
not  even  to  Rechab  his  Father.  By  Jonadab  they  were 
first  delivered  as  imperative,  regarding  them,  without 
doubt,  as  so  many  preservatives  against  that  idolatry,  to 
which  he  was  himself,  from  principle,  so  much  opposed. 

And  however  unnecessary  the  letter  of  this  good  man's 
family-precepts  may  at  first  reading  seem  to  us,  their 
spirit  and  design  may  convey  solid  instruction  to  the 
Parents  of  any  age.  The  only  safeguard  in  licentious 
times  is  self-denial,  and  if  lawful  enjoyments  are  not  then 
restricted,  the  bent  of  our  nature  will  hurry  us  into  sinful 
compliances.  The  precise  point  between  lawful  pleasures 
and  reigning  vice  is  like  a  boundary  between  two  king- 
doms always  at  war  with  each  other.  Weak,  then,  and 
sinful  as  we  all  are,  is  it  not  most  prudent  to  leave  some 
space  between,  and  not  venture  too  far  ?  This  was  the 
policy  of  Jonadab,  and  see  the  effects  !  His  family  con- 
tinues through  successive  generations,  and  free  from  many 
things  which  bloated  and  defiled  the  professed  and  priv- 
ileged Sons  of  Zion.  In  evil  times  and  evil  days,  yet 

* "  Their  laws  prohibit  the  sowing  of  corn,  or  any  thing  else 
that  bears  fruit,  the  planting  of  trees  or  vines,  the  drinking  of  wine, 
and  the  building  of  houses ;  and  the  transgression  of  them  is  pun- 
ished capitally.  The  reason  is,  their  thinking  that  those  who  are 
possessed  of  such  property  can  be  easily  forced  to  submit  to  the 
authority  of  their  more  powerful  brethren." — Diodorus  Siculus, 
book  xix.  94. 

16 


182  THE  MORAL  POWER  OP 

faithful  among  the  faithless,  the  temper  and  disposition  in 
which  this  family  stood  towards  the  things  of  the  world, 
has  secured  to  them  everlasting  remembrance  ;  and  their 
history  will  ever  remain  on  the  Divine  record,  as  singularly 
illustrative  of  the  power  which  resides  in  the  family  con- 
stitution. Balaam  had  said  indeed  that  they  should  be 
"wasted  away;"  but  what  was  it  which  retarded  the 
progress  of  decay,  and  secured  their  wasting  away  so 
slowly  ?  Was  it  not  the  influence  of  moral  and  religious 
principle  grafted  on  natural  connection  and  attachment  ? 

This,  then,  is  the  family  constitution  in  all  its  power, 
and  this  is  one  of  the  ends  in  view  by  Him  who  framed 
it :  a  constitution  of  things  which,  though  to  the  eye  of 
man  insignificant  and  often  neglected,  yet  still  survives, 
even  when  surrounded  by  storms  which  tear  up  the 
foundations  of  nations,  or  sweep  them  into  oblivion  ;  nay, 
which,  in  the  very  height  of  the  tempest,  or  before  it 
begins,  is  laid  hold  of  by  Infinite  Wisdom  as  the  germ  and 
the  security  of  a  better  day. 

Thus,  when  the  flood  was  coming  in  upon  the  world  at 
large,  Noah  found  gra-ce  in  the  eyes  of  its  Author.  When 
the  world  was  overrun  with  idolatry,  he  found  Abraham, 
and  made  him  the  Father  of  many  nations.  "When 
another  king  arose  that  knew  not  Joseph,  the  same  evil 
entreated  our  kindred — in  which  time  Moses  was  born  :" 
and  thus,  in  corrupt,  and  licentious,  and  idolatrous  times, 
by  adhering  to  the  precepts  of  their  Father,  we  see  the 
posterity  of  Jonadab  remain  in  Canaan,  like  a  pillar  of 
brass,  to  indicate  the  unmouldering  character  and  extent 
of  domestic  moral  power,  as  well  as  the  ancient  elevation 
of  patriarchal  piety. 


Such  then,  by  the  express  institution^  and  under  the 
promised  blessing  of  God,  being  the  amount  of  influence 


THE  DOMESTIC  CONSTITUTION.  1Q3 

given  to  parents, — such  their  power  to  form  either  to 
future  usefulness  or  greatness  of  character, — such  the 
power  inherent  in  a  well-regulated  family  to  form  and  im- 
prove the  character  of  Servants, — and  such  the  power  of 
resistance  to  evil,  of  which  that  constitution  over  which 
every  Parent  presides  is  capable, — we  are  now  able  to 
account  for  so  much  being  said  in  Scripture  on  the  sub- 
ject, as  well  as  for  the  very  strong  terms  which  are  there 
so  often  employed. 


SECTION  SEVENTH. 

THE  DANGER  AND  VANITY   OF   INTERFERENCE 
WITH  THE  DOMESTIC  CONSTITUTION. 

Mistaken  benevolence  inventing  systems  of  relief,  from  obligations 
which  can  never  be  fulfilled  beyond  the  Domestic  Circle. — Danger 
and  vanity  of  interference  illustrated  by  reference  to  the  apparent 
intentions  of  the  Almighty,  in  founding  and  continuing  to  up- 
hold this  singular  Constitution. 

THIS  household  economy,  once  understood  and  establish- 
ed, we  are  prepared  to  step  beyond  the  threshold,  and 
survey  the  general  body  of  a  Nation.  It  consists  simply 
of  a  number  of  such  families ;  and  it  is  of  domestic  virtues 
we  must  think,  when  we  think  of  the  morals  of  a  nation. 
"A  nation  is  but  a  shorter  name' for  the  individuals  who 
compose  it ;  and  when  these  are  consistent  Husbands  and 
Wives,  Fathers  and  Children,  Brothers  and  Sisters,  Mas- 
ters and  Servants,  they  will  be  good  citizens."  Every 
thing  which  is  moral  in  a  nation,  and  much  that  is  holy, 
and  worthy,  and  useful  in  the  church,  if  not  actually 
formed,  is  fostered  and  cherished  before  the  household 
fire.  This  is  especially  worthy  of  regard,  since  whatever 
form  of  political  government  the  nation  may  assume,  the 
constitution  of  her  families  may,  and  generally  does, 
remain  the  same  ;  and  any  interference  with  that  con- 
stitution, any  worldly  policy,  or  even  any  officious  i 


DANGER  OF  INTERFERENCE.  185 

meddling  benevolence,  which  would  here  interfere,  will, 
to  a  certainty,  weaken,  and,  at  last,  endanger  the  body 
politic :  that  is,  any  interference  affecting  the  moral 
strength  and  mutual  obligations  of  this  constitution ;  the 
connection  between  its  parts,  whether  natural  or  civil, 
moral  or  instituted,  by  the  God  of  nature  and  of  grace. 

On  the  part  of  the  ruling  power  in  a  State,  one  might 
imagine  such  an  interference ;  but  let  us  see  what  must 
be  the  result.  Looking  at  human  nature,  not  as  it  ought 
to  be,  but  as  it  is,  we  find  "two  strong  feelings  have 
always  agitated,  in  a  greater  or  less  degree,  the  state  of 
human  society, — the  desire  to  possess  power,  and  the 
desire  to  resist  it.  The  struggle  between  these  feelings 
necessarily  exists  under  every  form  of  government ;  nor 
can  the  most  imperious  despotism,  though  it  may  intimi- 
date and  subdue,  ever  entirely  eradicate  and  destroy  the 
spirit  of  opposition.  We  hear  of  Asiatic  monarchs,  who, 
in  the  mere  wantonness  of  their  moody  cruelty,  command 
human  beings  to  be  butchered  before  them ;  and  we  are 
thence  apt  to  infer,  that  there  is  no  restraint  on  their  will, 
and  no  limit  to  their  power.  But  this  is  an  error  into 
which  Europeans  have  frequently  fallen,  from  their  imper- 
fect acquaintance  with  the  laws,  and  usages,  and  manners- 
of  eastern  nations.  It  is  generally  among  his  ministers,, 
his  slaves,  and  his  favorites,  that  the  Asiatic  tyrant  seeks 
for  his  victims.  He  seldom  ventures  beyond  the  sphere 
of  his  court  to  murder  or  to  spoliate  ;  and  while  the  floors 
of  the  imperial  residence  are  purpled  with  the  blood  of  his 
officers,  his  vizirs,  and  his  concubines,  he  would  pause, 
ere  he  unjustly  deprived  the  meanest  citizen  of  his  prop- 
erty, his  life,  or  his  domestic  power.  The  man  who 
passes  within  the  gates  of  the  palace,  leaves  behind  him 
the  sympathy  of  his  fellow-subjects.  They  know  that 
ambition  has  guided  his  steps  to  the  foot  of  the  throne, 
and  that  he  has  bound  himself  to  obey  the  will,  in  order 
16* 


186  DANGER  AND  VANITY 

to  share  the  power  of  his  master.  They,  therefore,  hear 
with  indifference  of  his  disgrace,  his  exile,  or  his  death ; 
but  let  a  sovereign  violate  the  laws  of  justice,  in  de- 
priving a  private  and  unoffending  citizen  of  his  liberty 
or  his  life,"  much  more  should  he  invade  the  province  of 
parental  duty,  or  violate  the  rights  of  Parents,  "  and  he 
will  learn  to  his  peril  in  the  East,  as  well  as  in  the  West, 
that  no  King  can  be  secure  on  his  throne,  where  no  subject 
is  safe  in  his  house." 

But  though  no  monarch  had  ever  dreamt  of  trespassing 
on  the  province  of  parental  duty,  his  subjects  may  ;  and 
perhaps  some  persons  may  be  disposed  to  aver — his  sub- 
jects have.  Unwittingly,  indeed,  in  most  cases,  if  not  in 
all,  and  in  many  from  motives  of  high-toned,  though  mis- 
taken benevolence,  they  certainly  have  sometimes  tried  to 
devise  a  substitute,  in  a  case  for  which  no  substitute  or 
scheme  of  human  device  can  be  found — the  negligence  or 
indisposition  of  Parents.  Then  it  is,  however,  though 
benevolence  exert  all  its  energies,  that  you  see  education, 
so  called,  narrowed,  as  to  its  vital  import,  into  the  mere 
mechanical  arts  of  reading,  writing,  and  arithmetic,  with 
perhaps  some  proposed  outward  polish  of  manners.  A 
mere  corner  of  the  wide  field  of  parental  duty  is  occupied ; 
the  rest,  to  a  superficial  eye,  may  seem  left  vacant  merely, 
but  it  is  not  so.  There  grow  up,  with  spontaneous  luxu- 
riance, the  very  worst  of  habits  and  dispositions,  to  which 
these  arts  of  reading  and  writing  only  give  a  more  insidi- 
ous power  of  working  mischief.  In  short,  the  general 
surface  of  this  broad  field  no  heart  or  hand  can  cultivate, 
save  the  parental. 

The  application  of  a  system  of  relief  for  the  body,  gen- 
erally denominated  Poor-rate,  has,  by  many,  in  our  day, 
been  strongly  deprecated,  as  ultimately  endangering  the 
tone  and  the  health  of  human  society  ;  but  whatever  may 
be  said  on  that  subject,  let  these  same  individuals,  and  ajl 


OF  INTERFERENCE.  187 

others,  have  a  care  how  they  interfere  here.  The  pro- 
fessed application  of  relief  to  the  mind,  by  any  theoretical 
scheme  of  man's  devising,  where  a  constitution  of  GOD'S 
own  creation  and  upholding  stands  ready  before  us,  must 
ever  be  productive  of  consequences  the  most  pernicious. 
Were  human  benevolence  uniformly  associated  with  wis- 
dom; were  it  not  found  often  connected  with  want  of 
forethought ;  in  its  impatience  of  applying  a  remedy,  were 
it  not  often  particularly  impatient  of  what  may  seem  the 
most  formidable,  though  it  should  have  been  proved  to  be 
the  only  right  commencement ;  were  it  riot  too  often 
heedless  of  patient  and  powerful,  because  prospective 
measures,  then  the  constitution  of  the  human  family  would 
not  have  been  so  often  and  so  sadly  overlooked.  Such, 
however,  being  the  imperfections  which  often  accompany 
the  contrivances  of  human  benevolence,  may  I  not  inquire, 
whether  it  is  not  very  possible,  or  rather  very  likely,  in 
this  day  of  plans  and  schemes,  for  benevolence  itself,  if 
not  associated  with  other  qualities,  to  frame,  without-doors, 
some  things  which,  on  the  parental  mind  within,  shall 
operate  so  far  as  a  bounty  on  idleness,  and  as  a  drawback 
on  exertion ;  so  far  take  from  parental  obligation  its 
appropriate  awe,  and  from  parental  neglect  its  salutary 
shame ;  so  far  deprive  parental  improvidence  of  its  just 
responsibility,  and  parental  foresight  of  its  fair,  and  rich, 
and  delightful  reward  ?  These  are  at  least  important 
questions^  and  to  me  they  seem  to  deserve  the  deliberate 
and  serious  consideration  of  not  a  few. 

To  the  occasional  aberrations  of  human  benevolence, 
however,  I  need  not  be  confined.  In  man,  generally, 
there  is  a  strong,  if  not  a  constant  tendency,  either  to 
overlook  or  slight,  and  then  to  interfere  with  the  arrange- 
ments of  Infinite  Wisdom  ;  or  if  one  party  slight  or  neglect 
them,  another  at  last  interferes,  not  by  calling  men  to  first 
principles,  and  their  consequently  incumbent  duty  to  God, 


188  DANGER  AND  VANITY 

but  in  the  way  of  furnishing  some  expedient  of  human 
ingenuity,  to  supply  the  defect,  and  restore  the  tone  of 
society.  The  vanity,  however,  of  any  such  interference 
here,  will,  I  presume,  be  more  apparent,  when  the  designs 
of  the  Almighty,  in  framing  and  upholding  the  Family 
Constitution,  are  regarded  with  serious  attention.  If  it  is 
true,  that  "  God  never  made  his  work  for  man  to  mend," 
in  every  design  of  his  the  ends  must  be  carefully  observed, 
since,  if  those  ends  could  have  been  reached  by  the  in- 
genuity of  man,  no  such  constitution  of  things  had  existed. 
As  a  specimen  of  these,  take  the  following  : 

1.  By  the  Family  Constitution,  its  divine  Founder 
intended  to  produce  and  prolong  natural  affection ;  for  this 
alone  has  done  both. 

"  To  the  human  race,  the  importance  of  natural  affec- 
tion is  incalculable.  It  resists,  in  a  great  degree,  the 
tendency  to  absolute  selfishness ;  expands  and  softens  the 
heart ;  excites  and  nourishes  sympathy  and  compassion  ; 
and  prevents  the  world  from  becoming  the  seat  of  unbear- 
able violence  and  cruelty.  But  natural  affection  is  solely 
the  result  of  natural  relations,  and  almost  all  these  are 
originated  by  the  family  state ;  while  with  every  other 
distribution  of  mankind,  which  can  be  substituted  or  pro- 
posed, they  are  wholly  incompatible.  Besides  the  attach- 
ment which  natural  affection  forms  in  men  towards  the 
branches  of  their  families,  ultimately  extends  itself,  and  by 
a  natural  process,  to  their  country  and  laws,  their  govern- 
ment and  nation."* 

"  Domestic  love  is  sure  the  mind  to  wake, 
As  the  small  pebble  stirs  the  peaceful  lake  ; 
The  centre  moved,  a  circle  straight  succeeds, 
Another  still,  and  still  another  spreads  ; 
Child,  Parent,  neighbor,  first  it  will  embrace, 
His  country  next,  and  next  all  human  race."t 

*  Dwight.  t  Pope,  altered. 


OF  INTERFERENCE.  189 

If,  therefore,  such  enlarged  philanthropy  is  ever  to 
prevail,  assuredly  the  precise  point  where  the  pebble  must 
fall,  is  within  the  little  circle  of  domestic  life ;  and  any 
interference  on  the  part  of  man  must  affect,  correspond- 
ingly, all  the  circles  which  surround  it. 

2.  By  the  institution  of  families,  God  intended  to  pro- 
vide, not  only  for  the  preservation  and  support,  but  for  the 
education  of  children. 

Education,  however,  I  use  only  in  the  proper  sense  of 
the  term,  as  including  not  merely  instruction,  and  pri- 
marily religious  instruction,  but  the  formation  of  habits. 
"  Perhaps  no  word,  so  frequently  heard,  has,  in  modern 
times,  been  used  with  less  perception  of  its  import  and 
extent  than  that  of  education.  In  the  sense  in  which  it  is 
usually  taken,  it  signifies  instruction  in  letters,  in  human 
science,  and  various  accomplishments  of  the  mind  and 
body.  So  entirely  distinct  is  it  considered  from  moral, 
and  especially  religious  instruction,  that  when  the  par- 
ticular process  is  spoken  of  by  which  the  truths  of  re- 
ligion are  communicated  to  the  mind,  and  impressed  upon 
the  heart,  we  are  obliged,  in  order  to  make  ourselves 
understood,  to  prefix  an  epithet  to  the  term,  and  call  it  a 
religious  education.  This  exclusion  of  every  thing  re- 
ligious from  the  notion  of  education  is  so  complete,  that 
to  say  of  any  one,  he  is  educated,  conveys  no  idea  of 
religious  care  having  been  exercised  over  him  in  his  early 
years ;  no  idea  of  religious  principles  having  been  at  any 
time  implanted,  or  now  actually  operating  in  his  heart; 
and  though  no  truth  of  the  Sacred  Scriptures  should 
be  clearly  apprehended  by  his  understanding,  he  would, 
nevertheless,  pass,  in  the  language  of  the  world,  for  a 
person  of  education.  Had  not  a  very  culpable  alteration 
taken  place  in  modern  manners,  this  could  not  have  hap- 
pened. There  were  times,  and  among  ourselves,  when 


190  DANGER  AND  VANITY 

the  educated  person  was  presumed  to  be  acquainted  with 
the  faith  of  his  ancestors,  and  the  Bible  was  among  the 
first  books  put  into  his  hand  ;  when  the  elements  of  re- 
ligious truth  and  of  science  were  taught  together ;  and 
when  even  the  higher  branches  of  learning,  like  his  daily 
food,  were  '  sanctified  by  the  word  of  God  and  prayer.' 
The  practice  with  many  is  changed,  and  education  as  a 
matter  of  course,  in  the  lips  of  many,  no  longer  implies 
religious  information. 

"  But,  notwithstanding  this  alteration,  never  did  we 
hear  so  much  of  the  value  and  advantages  of  education, 
and  of  its  connection  with  happiness  and  virtue.  But 
of  what  is  this  affirmed  ?  Of  '  a  thing  of  shreds  and 
patches;'  splendid  and  many-colored  it  may  be;  yet  not 
worthy  of  a  better  appellation,  because  not  connected  with 
any  principle,  or  directed  to  any  end  worthy  of  our  being. 
To  open  the  mind  to  human  science,  to  awaken  the 
pleasures  of  taste,  and  to  decorate  the  external  man  with 
the  adornings  of  civil  and  refined  life,  might  be  sufficient 
to  occupy  the  office  of  education,  were  there  no  God,  no 
Saviour,  and  no  future  being.  Were  this  life  not  pre- 
paratory* and  man  not  hurrying  on  to  the  presence  of  his 
Judge ;  had  he  no  pardon  to  implore,  or  law  to  obey,  then 
this  would  be  education:  but  most  affectingly  deficient 
will  the  knowledge  of  that  youth  be  found,  and  negligent 
in  the  highest  degree  must  his  Parents  be  considered,  if 
his  mind  is  left  unoccupied  by  other  objects,  and  unfa- 
miliarized  to  higher  considerations.  Thus  they  may  rear 
a  whited  wall,  or  build  a  whited  sepulchre,  but  they  en- 
close an  uncorrected  corruption  within.  Perhaps  they  do 
worse ;  they  give  play  and  activity  to  the  powers,  without 
directing  their  movements,  and  abandon  instruments  of  an 
energy  not  to  be  calculated,  to  the  stimulus  of  principles 
and  passions,  which  employ  them  only  for  the  purposes  of 
destruction."* 

*  Richard  Watson. 


OF  INTERFERENCE,  191 

Besides,  the  very  substance  of  proper  education  is  the 
establishment  of  good  habits,  the  provision  for  which  is 
so  eminently  conspicuous  in  the  domestic  constitution — 
"  habits  extending  alike  to  the  body  and  the  soul,  and 
influencing  equally  the  thoughts  and  the  affections,  the 
language  and  conduct,  Without  these,  nothing  in  the 
human  character  or  human  life  can  be  efficacious,  or  per- 
manent, or  useful.  To  establish  these,  therefore,  in  the 
morning  of  life  is  the  great  business  of  education.  Habits, 
however,  are  formed  only  by  the  frequent  and  long-con- 
tinued repetition  of  the  same  measures ;  and  nothing  ever 
becomes  habitual,  except  that  which  has  been  long  and 
often  repeated."  But,  for  the  formation  of  these,  no 
school  can  provide,  nor  can  any  voluntary  society  ever  be 
formed.  "  To  accomplish  such  repetition,  nothing  will 
suffice  but  the  steady  affection  of  married  Parents  ;  a 
manifest  and  striking  proof  of  our  Creator's  design  in 
their  union."*  No,  but  for  this  institution,  the  children 
of  a  nation  can  never  be  habitually  trained  to  industry  and 
economy,  to  submission  or  good  order — never  to  sioeetness 
of  disposition  or  tenderness  of  affection,  to  amiableness  of 
manners  or  offices  of  kindness.^  Respecting  the  best  form 
of  national  government,  mankind  have  been  contending 
for  ages  :  but,  whatever  be  the  form  of  political  arrange- 
ments, let  the  family  constitution  once  be  neglected,  then 
will  the  blessings  of  rational  freedom  and  good  govern- 
ment, with  all  the  superior  blessings  of  morality  and  re- 
ligion, vanish  from  that  land.  Nay,  in  time,  it  must 
become  but  one  vast  den,  and  its  inhabitants,  if  not  de- 
stroyed, would  change  into  animals  the  most  ferocious  and 
terrible  on  earth.  Such  is  the  merciful  preservative,  the 
simple  but  efficacious  and  mighty  check,  involved  in  this 
small  and  unpretending,  but  invincible  constitution ! 

*  Dwight. 

t  Additional  proof  of  this  will  be  found  under  the  title  of  Family 
Instruction,  the  obligations  to  which  are  untransferable. 


192  DANGER  AND  VANITY 

Other  ends  might  be  illustrated,  and  will  occur  in  the 
course  of  these  pages  :  let  these,  for  the  present,  suffice  ; 
but  in  illustration  of  the  danger  and  folly  of  interference, 
as  well  as  the  vanity  of  artificial  arrangements  proposed 
by  man,  I  must  not  omit  to  notice  one  peculiar  facility 
thus  afforded  by  God,  for  the  accomplishment  of  his  own 
purposes. 

3.  By  the  Family  Constitution,  the  Almighty  has  him- 
self marked  out  the  only  proper  and  effectual  division  of 
labor, — a  division  which  past  ages  show  he  is  not  only 
determined  to  preserve,  but  will  not  suffer  to  be  invaded 
with  impunity,  and  the  only  division,  for  the  ends  in  view, 
on  which  man  can  warrantably  expect  his  blessing. 

God  made  man  upright :  since  then  "  he  hath  sought 
out  many  inventions,"  and  thus  often  been  involved  in  a 
labyrinth.  Infidel  philosophy  writes  on  human  perfecta- 
bility,  and  sees  no  evil,  but  good,  in  promiscuous  inter- 
course. To  meet  the  demoralizing  inroads  of  commercial 
speculation,  or  relieve  the  feelings  of  many  while  engaged 
in  amassing  wealth,  another  may  propose  parallelograms 
of  the  species, — but  all  localities,  of  whatever  description, 
whether  for  the  gratification  of  appetite  or  the  acquisition 
of  property,  nay,  for  the  promotion  of  benevolence,  or 
even  religion  professedly,  which  disregard  or  interfere 
with  the  Family  Constitution,  must  not  only,  sooner  or 
later,  break  down,  but  they  will  bring  their  own  punish- 
ment along  with  them ;  and  man  at  last  must  submit  to 
begin  and  go  on  with  man,  where  God  begins,  and  as  he 
goes  on  with  him. 

Such  a  line  of  things  being  made  ready  to  our  hands, 
though  it  should  be  mortifying  to  human  vanity,  is  it  any 
hardship  that  an  authoritative  stop  should  have  been  put 
by  the  Almighty  to  any  other  ?  Let  but  the  peculiar,  the 
absolutely  inimitable  features  of  this  division  of  labor  be 


OF  INTERFERENCE.  193 

once  understood,  man  will  not  only  be  afraid  to  touch 
with  it — he  will  admire  it  as  he  ought,  and  work  only  in 
cautious  subordination. 

Labor  is  the  appointment  of  Heaven,  though  man  natu- 
rally is  averse  from  it,  and  though  it  be  divided,  except  he 
is  brought  generally  to  feel  so  far  voluntary,  our  finest 
proposals  are  abortive.  "  But  here  is  a  division  of  labor 
which  is  perfectly  voluntary :  the  employment  being  or- 
dinarily chosen  by  the  individual  for  himself.  The  situa- 
tion in  which  he  stands  as  a  Man  and  a  Parent,  and  the 
partner  with  whom  he  is  connected  in  life,  are  both  the 
objects  of  his  choice ;  and  these  facts,  united  with  the 
common  rewards  of  industry,  furnish  all  the  reasons  which 
can  usually  exist  to  render  it  cheerful  and  efficacious." 

"  The  minuteness  of  this  division  of  labor  is  eminently 
conspicuous.  To  preserve  the  order  of  an  apostate  world 
required  the  wisdom  of  God.  The  great  task  of  establish- 
ing it  among  such  beings  as  we  are,  selfish,  revolting,  and 
refractory,  he  has  assigned  to  an  innumerable  multitude 
of  hands :  a  multitude  sufficiently  great  to  receive  it  in 
such  portions,  so  small  and  so  circumstanced,  as  to  en- 
sure both  the  ability  and  the  inclination  to  accomplish  it 
effectually.  These  portions  are  so  small  as  to  involve 
only  the  Children  of  a  single  family.  To  this  little  flock 
are  given  regularly  two  Rulers,  taking  them  all  in  all, 
better  disposed  and  better  qualified,  in  almost  all  in- 
stances, than  any  other  persons  found  in  the  world.  The 
circumstances  in  which  those  are  placed  who  are  to  be 
governed  are  more  favorable  to  the  accomplishment  of  the 
end  than  any  other  can  be.  Their  infancy,  childhood, 
and  youth,  in  succession;  their  feebleness,  dependence, 
and  ignorance ;  the  affection  and  superiority,  the  care 
and  kindness  of  the  Parents,  the  instinctive  love  and  rev- 
erence of  the  children,  together  with  their  necessary 
and  long-continued  residence,  during  their  earliest  years, 
17 


194  DANGER  AND  VANITY 

under  the  parental  roof :  all  these  present  to  the  contem- 
plative eye  a  combination  of  things  which  display,  by 
their  singular  adaptation,  one  of  the  most  remarkable 
proofs  of  infinite  wisdom.  Fewer  hands  could  not  pos- 
sibly accomplish  this  mighty  task  :  a  task  which  cannot 
be  accomplished  by  proxy,  nor  could  substitutes  be  found. 
All  the  wisdom  of  legislation,  all  the  energy  of  despotism, 
would  be  spent  upon  it  in  vain.  It  is  beyond  calculation 
a  greater  and  more  arduous  work  than  all  the  labors 
of  all  Rulers,  whether  legislative,  executive;  or  judicial, 
united." 

"  This  division  of  labor  is,  in  short,  the  best,  because  it 
is  the  simplest  and  easiest  possible, — the  best,  because  it 
has  been  thoroughly  tried,  and  has  always  been  able 
peacefully  and  happily  to  accomplish  the  ends  in  view, — 
the  best,  because  it  is  the  established  order  of  the  universe, 
the  result  of  Divine  wisdom  and  goodness,  and  one  lead- 
ing proof  of  these  attributes,  from  age  to  age."* 

Thus  it  appears,  that  the  Constitution  of  a  human 
family,  though  the  most  diminutive  upon  earth,  not  only 
stands  in  the  relation  of  cause  to  effect,  but,  like  almost 
every  other  such  cause  appointed  by  God,  it  is  one  cause 
producing  various  effects,  and  so  producing  them,  that 
neither  can  otherwise  be  fully  reached  by  man;  while  the 
combination  of  effects  thus  produced,  by  any  expedient, 
or  plan,  or  new  view  of  society,  of  our  devising,  is  posi- 
tively and  altogether  impossible.  Nature  is  sparing  of 
causes,  prolific  in  effects,  so  that  if  men  touch  with  but 
one  of  the  former,  they  at  once  deprive  themselves  of 
many  benefits.  In  the  world  of  nature,  this  has  been 
better  understood  and  often  admired,  but,  with  it,  the 
moral  world  is  here  in  perfect  harmony. 

If  the  heat  of  the  sun  contributes  to  the  life  of  animals 
and  the  vegetation  of  plants,  the  ripening  of  seeds  and  the 
*  D wight. 


OF  INTERFERENCE.  195 

fluidity  of  water,  the  elevation  of  vapor  and  the  formation 
of  clouds  :  if  air  is  so  constituted  as  to  preserve  animals 
alive  and  support  combustion,  to  convey  sound  to  great 
distance  and  the  winged  fowl  from  place  to  place :  if  the 
power  of  gravitation,  existing  in  all  bodies,  preserves  all 
in  their  places,  restrains  the  ocean  to  her  bed,  and  the 
earth  in  her  orbit ;  let  us  descend  to  the  little  domestic 
circle,  constituted  as  divinely,  and  there  we  find  one 
single  propensity,  when  regulated  by  Christian  principle, 
producing  far  more  important  effects,  because  more  nearly 
allied  to  the  moral  image  of  God :  nay,  even  when  not  so 
regulated,  effects  are  thus  produced,  without  which  the 
moral  world  could  not  stand.  But  once  suppose  the 
Parents,  Christian — then,  from  the  single  principle  of 
natural  inclination,  in  the  heart  of  two  individuals,  we  see 
proceed  not  only  profitable  solicitude  for  their  offspring, 
but  social  union ;  the  bonds  of  unity,  genuine  patriotism, 
goodness  and  prudence  in  those  who  are  one  day  to 
govern ;  fidelity  and  contentment  in  those  who  are  one 
day  to  obey.  Hence  only  a  single  propensity  keeps  each 
individual  in  his  appropriate  sphere,  becomes  the  bond 
of  civil  society  and  the  principle  of  correct  conduct,  of 
laudable  enterprise  and  innocent  recreation. 

If  the  domestic  Constitution,  therefore,  is  actually  the 
divinely-appointed  cause  of  various  effects,  which  cannot 
otherwise  be  fully  reached,  with  what  sacred  regard  ought 
it  to  be  viewed  by  every  Christian,  in  all  his  attempts  for 
the  benefit  of  man  !  There  is,  it  is  true,  a  secret  in  the 
ways  of  God,  but  that  secret  once  discovered,  it  is  to  be 
secreted  no  more.  Let  the  ends  to  be  attained,  therefore, 
only  be  kept  in  view,  then  the  vanity,  not  to  say  impiety 
of  interference  will  be  more  apparent,  as  well  as  the  per- 
nicious tendency  of  all  systematic  attempts,  of  whatever 
description,  which  either  disregard  this  unpretending  Con- 
stitution,  or  tend  in  any  degree  to  relax  it,  or  relieve 


196  DANGER  OF  INTERFERENCE. 

Parents  from  duties  imposed  on  them  by  God  himself. 
That  state  of  society  must  ever  be  most  agreeable  to  his 
will,  where  the  highest  sense  of  responsibility  rests  on 
their  shoulders,  and  where,  instead  of  specious  plans  with 
a  view  to  relieve  them,  every  thing  is  done  to  keep  their 
hearts  alive  to  the  unapproachable  peculiarity  of  their 
honorable  situation. 


SECTION  EIGHTH. 

CONCLUDING     REFLECTIONS. 

The  power  of  accommodation  in  the  Family  Circle  to  all  other 
human  institutions. — The  inimitable  character,  and  highest  end, 
of  the  Domestic  Constitution. 

THIS  Constitution  of  a  Family,  at  once  so  singular  and 
invaluable,  may  have  been  neglected ;  it  may  have  been 
misunderstood;  and  millions  also,  without  doubt,  have 
enjoyed  its  benefits  with  delight  and  comfort;  although 
the  grounds,  and  original  cause,  could  not,  by  them,  be 
explained. 

Other  forms  of  government,  or  "  the  powers  that  be," 
existing  at  the  same  moment,  in  different  quarters  of  the 
globe,  the  intelligent  Christian  regards  as  so  many  effects 
of  a  superintending  Providence ;  and  Christianity,  ever 
friendly  to  order  and  to  peace,  enjoins  obedience  for  con- 
science' sake.  These  forms,  however,  are  so  diversified, 
that  in  one  he  can  read  the  mercy ;  in  another  the  judg- 
ment of  God  :  and  not  only  so,  but,  with  the  lapse  of  time, 
he  sees  that  these  various  forms,  not  only  may,  but  ac- 
tually do,  change ;  so  that  the  same  spot  of  ground  has 
been  occupied  in  succession,  by  the  gradations  and  ex- 
tremes of  opposite  arrangements.  It  is  not  so  with  the 
Domestic  Constitution.  Like  the  constitution  of  the 
17* 


198         CONCLUDING  REFLECTIONS. 

church  of  Christ  itself,  indeed,  that  of  the  Family  has 
been,  at  times,  sadly  invaded  or  corrupted,  and  abused ; 
but  still  of  these  two  constitutions,  and  of  these  alone,  can 
the  Almighty  be  considered,  in  a  special  and  peculiar 
sense,  as  the  sole  and  all-sufficient  Founder  and  Ruler, 
Guardian  and  Judge.  Were  evidence  of  this  even  still 
desired,  the  proofs  might  be  confined  to  two. 

1.  Their  power  of  accommodation  to  human  constitu- 
tions, without  the  smallest  violation  of  their  peculiar 
character. 

The  political  and  civil  arrangements  of  men  have  been 
various  and  perpetually  shifting;  but  the  church  and 
the  family,  which  can  exist,  and,  if  let  alone,  can  thrive 
under  them  all,  remain  ever  the  same. 

As  to  the  church,  even  under  the  Jewish  theocracy, 
when  it  seemed  so  interwoven  with  the  state,  it  remained 
the  same  under  various  forms  of  political  government. 
Whether  under  the  Jethronian  prefects,  as  they  have  been 
called,  in  the  wilderness,  or  the  judges  after  the  death  of 
Joshua,  the  kings  who  succeeded  them,  or  the  priests  and 
public-spirited  individuals  after  the  captivity,  it  remained 
the  same ;  that  is,  under  any  of  these  civil  arrangements, 
the  church  might  have  prospered ;  under  each  of  them  we 
see  it  revived  and  purified,  and  under  each  producing 
individual  religious  characters  of  the  highest  standing. 
But  whatever  may  be  thought  of  this  remark,  Christianity, 
as  by  Christ  established,  while  it  has  symbolized  with  no 
one  form  in  preference ;  yet,  wherever  permitted,  it  has 
purified  the  springs  of  every  form  of  government,  and 
shed  its  own  peculiar  blessings  on  them  all.  When  let 
alone,  it  has  flourished,  whether  in  Britain  or  in  America, 
— when  persecuted  in  any  land,  the  blood  of  its  martyrs 
has,  sooner  or  later,  always  proved  the  seed  of  the  church. 
Infidel  philosophy,  and  literary  violence,  the  dagger  and 


CONCLUDING  REFLECTIONS.         199 

the  clog,  have  all  been  tried  in  vain.  "  Storms  but  en- 
liven its  unfading  green ; "  for  its  very  highest  triumphs 
were  achieved  under  a  Domitian  and  a  Nero  ;  while,  like 
its  Author,  in  its  own  essential  character,  the  church 
remains  "the  same  yesterday,  to-day,  and  for  ever." 
This  continuity  of  the  Church,  I  grant,  respects  only  its 
vital  character.  Changes  as  to  its  form  and  constitution 
even  it  has  undergone.  Time  there  was,  when,  from  its 
dispersion  in  single  families,  it  was  gathered  within  the 
precincts  of  those  singular  tribes,  of  whom  it  was  said, 
"  Lo,  the  people  shall  dwell  alone,  and  they  shall  not  be 
reckoned  among  the  nations."  So  it  remained  until  the 
Almighty  himself  shook  all  nations,  and  the  Desire  of  all 
Nations  arrived ;  and  although  even  now  we  see  not  yet 
all  things  put  under  Him,  still  we  see  Jesus  crowned  with 
glory  and  honor,  who  will  one  day  take  to  himself  his 
great  power  and  reign — reign,  I  believe,  according  to  the 
form  of  that  House  which  he  instituted  by  the  Fishermen 
of  Galilee. 

But  however  the  Church  might  change  as  to  its  outward 
form,  till  it  ended  in  a  kingdom  which  is  not  of  this 
world,  and  a  kingdom  which  cannot  be  moved,  one  small 
unpretending  constitution  was  set  up  from  the  beginning, 
and,  it  seems,  must  exist  the  same  in  all  ages,  however 
society  may  assume  different  shapes  and  forms — however 
times  may  change,  and  we  change  with  them.  There  are 
some  men  to  whom  every  thing  relating  to  man,  as  man, 
is  interesting  and  important,  who  are  also  fond  of  an- 
tiquity. Let  them  look  here,  and,  amidst  the  constant 
and  inevitable  vicissitude  of  human  affairs,  though  life 
itself  is  but  a  vapor,  in  the  domestic  constitution  as  such, 
they  may  discover  one,  if  not  the  only  "  imperishable  type 
of  evanescence" — the  only  form  of  humanity  over  which 
time  and  circumstances  have  had  no  control :  that  only 
form  with  which  all  generations  can  fully  sympathize; 


200         CONCLUDING  REFLECTIONS. 

which  the  Jewish  economy,  far  from  invading,  so  recog- 
nized and  venerated,  and  which  it  remains  for  Christianity 
to  exhibit  in  all  the  power  and  beauty  which  were  intended 
from  the  beginning  by  its  Divine  Author. 

The  Domestic  Constitution,  thus  surviving  all  the 
changes  of  time,  without  any  change  in  itself,  its  power 
of  accommodation  must  needs  be  great,  but  the  charm  of 
all  in  this  case  is,  that  nothing  is  sacrificed.  Its  power  of 
accommodation,  therefore,  to  the  social  forms  of  man's 
device,  must  arise  in  part  from  its  being  complete  within 
itself,  and  independent  of  them  all,  as  it  also  existed 
before  them, — "  the  result  of  mere  nature  ;  requiring  the 
intervention  of  no  force,  no  law,  or  human  contrivance ; 
yet  extending  throughout  the  world,  over  every  age  and 
nation,  in  the  same  easy  manner :  it  exists  everywhere, 
through  mere  propensity,  under  forms  of  political  govern- 
ment, which  may  be  called  the  two  extremes ;  and  under 
both  it  exists  at  once,  without  contention  and  without 
difficulty."*  Invaded  it  has  been,  indeed,  both  by  the 
arm  of  despotism,  and  the  injudicious  intermeddling  of 
human  kindness  ;  but  both  at  last  have  been  alike  wearied, 
and  have  desisted :  the  reason  is,  that  the  Christian 
church,  and  the  human  Family,  have,  in  fact,  but  one  and 
the  same  favor  to  implore,  in  every  land,  whether  from 
tyranny  or  pretended  benevolence,  and  that  is — to  let 
them  alone. 

Amidst  the  ruins  of  the  Fall,  it  is  truly  refreshing  to 
see  two  such  Constitutions  in  existence,  and  thus  upheld ; 
which  blessing,  and  being  blest,  will,  of  themselves  alone, 
one  day,  introduce  the  Millennium. 

2.  The  inimitable  character  of  the  Family  and  the 
Church,  is  another  striking  proof,  that  they  are  the  only 
Constitutions  of  divine  formation,  upheld  by  God,  on 
which  the  eye  can  rest. 

*  D  wight. 


CONCLUDING  REFLECTIONS.  2Q1 

Much,  indeed,  may  be  learned  from  both,  for  the  purify- 
ing and  perfecting,  as  far  as  may  be,  both  political  and 
civil  arrangements,  whether  systems  of  government  or  of 
natural  jurisprudence ;  but  man,  with  all  his  ingenuity, 
cannot  frame  any  constitution  of  things,  precisely  similar, 
either  to  a  Family  or  the  Church  of  Christ.  They  are  of 
God's  own  production,  and,  like  every  thing  else  which 
He  has  "  created  and  made,"  defy  imitation,  and  cannot 
be  copied.  With  regard  to  a  Family  in  particular,  there 
is  not  only  nothing  else  like  its  Constitution  among  men, 
but,  though  there  are  gradations  of  rank,  or  degrees  of 
glory,  there  is  nothing  similar  to  it  even  among  the  angels 
of  God.  Framed  for  this  brief  and  transitory,  yet  all- 
important  state  of  existence,  and  to  expire  with  the  last 
generation  of  human  beings,  still  it  points  to  what  is 
permanent  and  unchangeable.  In  its  constitution,  as  far 
as  we  can  penetrate,  it  displays  the  nearest  approach  to 
the  divine  government,  and,  unquestionably,  it  bears  this 
resemblance,  with  an  immediate  view  to  the  best  interests 
of  that  government.  As  man  himself  was  originally 
created  in  the  image  of  God,  so  it  should  seem,  in  the 
depth  of  his  condescension,  he  intended  to  place  him  at 
the  head  of  a  government, — the  shade  or  similitude  of  his 
own ! 


PART   SECOND. 


THE  UNTRANSFERABLE  OBLIGATIONS,  AND  PECU- 
LIAR ADVANTAGES,  OF  THE  DOMESTIC  CONSTI- 
TUTION. 


By  thee 

Founded  in  reason,  loyal,  just,  and  pure, 
Relations  dear,  and  all  the  charities 
Of  Father,  Son,  and  Brother,  first  were  known. 
Far  be  it  that  I  should  write  thee  sin  or  blame, 
Or  think  thee  unbefitting  holiest  place, 
Perpetual  fountain  of  domestic  sweets.  MILTON. 


By  this  most  astonishing  connection,  these  reciprocal  correspond- 
encies and  mutual  relations,  almost  every  thing  which  we  see  in 
the  course  of  Nature  is  brought  about.  Things,  seemingly  the 
most  insignificant  imaginable,  are  perpetually  observed  to  be  neces- 
sary conditions  to  other  things  of  the  greatest  importance. 

BUTLER. 


PART   SECOND. 


SECTION  FIRST. 

OBEDIENCE      AND      SUCCESS      CONTRASTED      WITH 
NEGLIGENCE     AND     RUIN. 

Introductory  remarks. — The  inevitable  consequences  of  obedience 
and  neglect  illustrated  by  reference  to  two  of  the  most  memorable 
instances  in  Scripture. 

THROUGHOUT  these  pages,  the  object  of  the  writer,  with 
regard  to  the  Domestic  Constitution,  is  to  arrive  at  the 
knowledge  of  "the  thing  as  it  is."  Whether  he  succeeds, 
it  will  remain  for  others  to  determine ;  but  the  object  is 
certainly  of  the  first  importance,  not  only  to  the  kingdom 
of  Christ,  but  to  the  state  of  society  in  general :  for 
although  God  himself  does  not  govern  the  world  as  he 
does  the  church,  nor  treat  the  individual  Christian  as  he 
does  the  unbeliever,  still  there  are  certain  great  fixed 
principles  which,  it  seems,  He  owes  to  himself — to  his 
government — and  to  man,  as  man,  inviolably  to  maintain. 
Thus,  if  Jehovah  is  "  angry  with  the  wicked  every  day" 
he  also  "judgeth  the  righteous"  every  day ;  and  his  judg- 
ments thus  beginning  with  them  in  this  life,  though  all 
18 


206  OBEDIENCE  AND  NEGLECT 

should  be  virtually  converted  into  the  chastisements  of  a 
Father,  "  who  judgeth  according  to  every  man's  work  of 
what  sort  it  is,"  still,  such  judgments  or  chastisements  are 
intended  to  warn  the  unbelieving  or  disobedient,  of  what 
inevitably  awaits  him,  both  in  time  and  eternity.  "  For 
if  judgment  must  begin  at  the  house  of  God,  what  shall 
the  end  be  of  them  who  obey  not  the  gospel  of  God  1  and 
if  the  righteous  scarcely  be  saved,  where  shall  the  ungodly 
and  the  sinner  appear  ?  " 

At  all  events,  whatever  may  be  said  in  reference  to 
some  other  subjects  of  investigation,  the  Domestic  Consti- 
tution is  one  which,  it  appears,  is  regarded  by  its  Divine 
Author,  according  to  certain  fixed  and  unalterable  laws, 
such  as  we  have  already  attempted  to  illustrate ;  and  it 
will  afford  additional  confirmation,  if  we  again  see  the 
Almighty  acting  towards  his  own  people  on  the  same 
impartial  and  fixed  principles  which  he  has  revealed  for 
the  guidance  and  monition  of  man,  as  man. 

For  the  exhibition  of  a  contrast  between  the  frown  and 
the  favor  of  God,  resting  on  a  Father  and  his  posterity, 
I  have  therefore  selected,  not  two  persons  of  opposite 
sentiments,  but  two  parents  whose  individual  character  for 
piety  has  been  admitted  by  all  ages.  Such  a  picture  will 
serve  to  show  the  reader  that  there  is  no  respect  of  per- 
sons with  God,  and  that  he  is  determined  to  act  on  the 
same  solemn  principles  with  his  own  people,  as  with  those 
who  do  not,  in  any  degree,  acknowledge  his  authority. 

OBEDIENCE  AND  SUCCESS. 

Several  circumstances  unite  to  render  the  family  of 
Abraham  a  subject  of  peculiar  interest.  At  the  age  of 
seventy-five,  he  was  himself  a  convert  from  idolatry,  or, 
at  all  events,  he  was  then  called  to  give  his  opinion  and 
decided  testimony  against  it,  by  first  leaving  his  country, 
and  finally  his  Father's  house.  In  the  course  of  but  a 


VIEWED  IN  CONTRAST.  207 

few  years  after  this,  though  God  had  given  him  no  such 
prospect,  and  though  there  was  nothing  respecting  which 
he  was  less  solicitous,  he  had  in  fact  become  a  very 
wealthy  man.  Not  being  permitted  either  to  build  or  to 
purchase  land,  this  increase  of  his  property  operated 
greatly  in  extending  his  responsibility,  and  increasing 
the  burden  of  his  care.  His  family,  and  especially  a 
household  of  such  extent,  living  in  Canaan  at  such  a  time, 
was  far  from  being  beyond  the  influence  of  contamination. 
The  vicinity  of  wicked  cities  required  constant  vigilance, 
and  Abraham  dwelt  actually  in  sight  of  Sodom  and  Go- 
morrah. There  too  he  had  relations,  at  least  a  nephew 
and  his  family,  which  might  lead  him  and  his  servants 
to  visit  Sodom  occasionally  ;  indeed  we  know,  that  the 
strength  of  his  household  had,  upon  one  occasion,  to  be 
exerted  on  their  behalf.  At  the  same  time  he  lived  not 
far  from  Salem,  the  residence  of  Melchisedec.  Though 
inferior  to  this  wonderful  man  in  some  respects,  at  that 

period  of  his  liffi  to  whir.h    Srriptnrp    rpfprs,*  with  him  he 

might  associate,  and  without  doubt  enjoy  all  the  intimacy 
of  which  patriarchal  neighborhood  could  admit.  Thus 
was  Abraham  and  his  family  placed  between  good  and 
evil,  between  a  blessing  and  a  curse — life  and  death  were 
set  before  them. 

Let  us  then  endeavor  to  ascertain  a  few  of  the  most 
important  features  of  Abraham's  character  and  conduct, 
as  a  Father  and  a  Master.  "  And  the  Lord  said,  Shall  I 
hide  from  Abraham  that  thing  which  I  do  ;  seeing  that 
Abraham  shall  surely  become  a  great  and  mighty  nation, 
and  all  the  nations  of  the  earth  shall  be  blessed  in  him  ? 
For  I  know  him,  that  he  will  command  his  children  and 
his  household  after  him,  and  they  shall  keep  the  way  of 
the  Lord,  to  do  justice  and  judgment;  that  the  Lord  may 
bring  upon  Abraham  that  which  he  hath  spoken  of  him."t 

*  Hebrews  vii.  4,  6,  7.  t  Genesis  xviii.  17 — 19. 


208  OBEDIENCE  AND  NEGLECT 

First, — His  behavior  at  home  is  inferred  from  his  known 
character. 

The  Almighty  here,  in  order  to  impress  our  minds 
more  deeply,  condescends  to  adopt  the  language  of  men. 
"  I  know  Abraham,  that  he  will"  do  so  and  so.  This  is 
not  only  a  natural,  but  it  is  almost  the  universal  way  in 
which  we  judge,  and  it  agrees  with  common  observation 
to  this  hour.  It  is  on  this  principle,  as  safe  as  any  which 
can  be  adopted,  that  the  most  judicious  selection  is  made 
of  an  individual,  or  the  most  important  charge  committed 
to  him ;  and  it  is  on  this  principle  alone  that  we  often 
repose  the  utmost  confidence,  or  anticipate  the  greatest 
good.  "  I  know  him,"  said  Jehovah,  "  that  he  will,"  as 
a  natural  and  necessary  effect,  resulting  from  his  fear  of 
me,  "  command  his  family,  and  his  household  after  him, 
to  keep  the  way  of  the  Lord."  On  any  express  precept 
given  to  him,  which  Abraham  might  have  been  expected 
to  venerate,  Jehovah  rested  not — but  on  ground  higher 
far  than  this,  he  knew  that  the  patriarch  would  certainly 
proceed.  So,  when  a  man  possesses  the  fear  of  God  akin 
to  that  of  Abraham,  he  will  act  in  the  same  way  :  where 
this  is  wanting,  whatever  may  be  his  profession,  he  as 
certainly  will  not. 

Second, — Abraham's  care  over  his  family,  and  his 
affection  for  all  under  his  eye,  were  to  be  discovered  by  his 
maintaining  his  authority  over  all. 

Of  Abraham  being  a  very  affectionate  man  there  can 
be  no  question.  His  bringing  his  nephew  into  Canaan 
with  him,  and  the  manner  of  his  parting  with  that  nephew 
afterwards  ;  his  memorable  exclamation  over  Ishmael,  and 
the  language  used  by  God  himself,  when  he  called  upon 
him  to  surrender  Isaac,  alike  prove  this  beyond  a  doubt. 
Yet,  there  is  a  more  unequivocal  proof  of  an  affectionate 
heart;  much  more  formidable  than  any  temporary  trial 
can  discover,  or  any  warm  expression  can  evince.  Such 


VIEWED  IN  CONTRAST.  209 

a  proof  is  here  fixed  upon — "  he  will  command  his  children 
and  his  household  after  him." 

Many  persons  complain  of  the  cares  of  a  family,  and  of 
the  difficulties  connected  with  managing  their  Servants  ; 
but  let  them  be  candid ;  let  them  do  justice  to  Abraham, 
and  see  what  a  family  was  here  !  At  one  period  of  his 
residence  in  Canaan,  he  could  muster  not  fewer  than 
three  hundred  and  eighteen  trained  or  instructed  Servants, 
all  born  in  his  house ;  and  his  household  after  this  still 
increased.  In  short,  the  number  of  souls,  old  and  young, 
under  his  care  at  one  time,  must  have  exceeded  a  thou- 
sand, and  they  have  been  rated  as  high  as  fifteen  hundred. 
In  such  a  household,  too,  there  must  have  been  immense 
variety  of  character.  There  were  servants  within  and 
without,  of  the  tent  and  of  the  field ;  men-servants  and 
maid-servants;  shepherds  and  camel-drivers.  A  number 
of  these  had  come  from  Haran,  in  Mesopotamia,  nearly 
five  hundred  miles  distant ;  some  were  from  Egypt,  and 
the  steward  of  his  house  from  Damascus,  in  Syria.  Now, 
in  such  a  family,  it  is  manifest  he  would  meet  with  much 
to  try  the  strength  of  his  principles,  every  day  he  rose. 
In  some  he  would  meet  with  disinclination  or  reluctance, 
and  in  others  with  instances  of  disobedience.  This  in- 
deed seems  positively  anticipated  in  the  language  of  God, 
and  herein  lies  the  strength  of  his  commendation.  These 
were  the  very  incidents  which  would  give  celebrity  to  his 
determined  soul,  and,  in  the  certain  prospect  of  them,  the 
Almighty  knew  how  he  would  conduct  himself.  His 
authority,  when  questioned,  so  far  as  the  religious  care  of 
his  house  was  concerned,  could  not  be  long  concealed; 
and,  when  once  discovered,  this  authority  was  not  to  be 
wrested  from  him.  In  such  a  well-regulated  household, 
his  interposition  in  such  a  way  could  be  only  occasional, 
but  the  occasion  for  it  once  occurring,  he  would  certainly 
be  obeyed. 

18* 


210  OBEDIENCE  AND  NEGLECT 

Thus,  all  went  on  with  as  much  harmony  as  the  case 
would  admit.  There  was  no  strife  within  his  knowledge 
which  he  would  not  effectually  heal.  Between  his  own 
herdmen  and  that  of  his  own  nephew  he  could  not  bear 
it,  much  less  in  his  own  family. 

Third, — His  authority  was  maintained,  not  for  its  own 
sake,  but  from  his  desire  to  reach  an  end,  and  that  a 
religious  end. 

Some  men  maintain  a  most  rigorous  sway  over  their 
families ;  but  this  is  often  only  to  give  themselves  ease, 
or  to  gratify  an  imperious  temper.  The  Servants  of 
Nabal,  addressing  their  own  Mistress,  said  that  he  was 
"such  a  son  of  Belial,  that  a  man  could  not  speak  to 
him."  How  different  was  the  sceptre  which  Abraham 
swayed!  The  promised  blessing  of  God  on  himself  he 
highly  valued,  yet  did  he  desire  to  stand  upon  still  higher 
ground.  This  good  man  wanted  to  be  a  blessing  :  there- 
fore did  he  maintain  his  authority,  with  a  view  to  others 
receiving  the  good  which  he  himself  enjoyed.  Well,  it 
should  seem,  did  he  know  that  when  Jehovah  appoints  to 
an  end,  he  also  equally  appoints  the  means  to  that  end  ; 
and  therefore  did  he  so  conduct  himself. 

This  fine  character  of  Abraham  is,  however,  the  more 
remarkable,  from  the  positive  security  which  had  been 
already  given,  that  all  would  be  well  with  him.  "  In  thee 
and  in  thy  seed,"  had  the  Lord  assured  him,  "s/m//all 
the  families  of  the  earth  be  blessed."  Now,  a  man  of 
other  or  of  inferior  principles  might  have  said — "  What 
signifies  it  to  me,  what  becomes  of  these  many  Servants 
of  mine  ?  My  own  name  will  remain,  it  seems,  while 
the  world  endures,  and  my  posterity  are  provided  for  by 
Heaven  itself."  But  no ;  he  was  a  good  man,  and  would 
certainly  proceed  as  was  supposed,  that  the  Lord,  in  con- 
sistency with  his  character  as  well  as  his  promise,  might 
bring  upon  Abraham  all  that  he  had  spoken  of  him. 


VIEWED  IN  CONTRAST.  211 

Fourth, — SucJt,  on  the  whole,  was  the  perfection  with 
which  Abraham  maintained  his  place  and  character,  as  a 
Parent  and  as  a  Master,  that  success  is  positively  antici- 
pated from  his  exertions. 

In  the  whole  of  this  passage  of  sacred  writ,  the  reader 
does  not  find  one  hypothetical  particle.  "  I  know  him 
that  he  will  command  his  children  and  his  household  after 
him,  and  they  shall  keep  the  way  of  the  Lord,  to  do 
justice  and  judgment;  that  the  Lord  may  bring  upon 
Abraham  that  which  he  hath  spoken  of  him."  Upon 
them  shall  thus  descend  the  blessing  of  which  the  Parent 
and  the  Master  was  full.  Now,  this  is  an  intimation  and 
encouragement  at  once  delightful  and  cheering  to  every 
succeeding  conscientious  head  of  a  family.  He  that 
ploughelh  must  plough  in  hope ;  but  after  this,  if  God's 
word  is  true,  and  we  are  faithful  to  it,  there  is  no  quarter 
to  which  a  man  can  bend  his  eye  with  stronger  hope  than 
to  his  family.  Over  the  world,  as  such,  he  may  have 
little  or  no  control ;  his  business,  with  all  his  ingenuity, 
may  not  succeed ;  but,  assuredly,  the  man  who  treads  in 
Abraham's  footsteps  shall  not  be  left  without  a  blessing 
corresponding  to  that  of  Abraham. 

As  a  proof  of  this  good  man's  success,  I  might  point 
to  a  specimen  of  each  class  into  which  his  family  was 
divided, — to  Isaac,  his  Son,  and  to  Eliezer,  his  Servant, 
in  themselves  a  host ;  though,  doubtless,  Abraham  was 
the  spiritual  Father  of  many  more, — but,  as  the  character 
of  each  of  these  individuals  is  glanced  at  elsewhere, 
averse  from  repetition,  to  these  passages  I  must  beg  leave 
to  refer  the  reader.* 

Such,  then,  is  the  connection  between  obedience  and 
success, — and  though  we  have  now  to  view  a  most  heart- 
rending picture  in  contrast,  the  serious  contemplation,  as 
it  is  not  less  necessary,  may  not  be  less  profitable. 

*  See  pages  77—79,  and  154. 


OBEDIENCE  AND  NEGLECT 

NEGLIGENCE  AND  RUIN. 

In  the  circumstances  under  which  Eli  is  first  presented  to 
our  notice,  there  were  included  several  peculiar  privileges, 
from  which  a  very  different  character  and  conduct  might 
have  been  anticipated.  Aaron  had  two  sons,  Eleazer  and 
Ithamar;  and  although  the  names  are  preserved,  from 
the  days  of  that  fine  character,  Phineas,  the  son  of 
Eleazer,  after  whom,  it  seems,  one  of  Eli's  children  was 
named,  no  mention  whatever  of  the  high-priest  is  to  be 
found  until  Eli  appears.  This  high  and  sacred  office, 
which  had  all  along  continued  in  the  line  of  Eleazer,  for 
some  cause  had  just  been  transferred  to  the  posterity  of 
Ithamar;  and  Eli,  being  his  lineal  descendant,  was  the 
first  man  of  his  posterity  who  had  been  promoted  to  the 
united  honor  of  High  Priest  and  Judge  in  Israel.  The 
oracular  voice  in  the  sanctuary,  given  by  Urim  and  Thum- 
mim,  had  for  some  time  ceased ;  which  was  no  ambiguous 
intimation  of  degeneracy,  and  probably  of  divine  dis- 
pleasure, either  with  the  posterity  of  the  elder  brother,  or 
with  Hophni  and  Phineas.  On  these  accounts,  one  might 
surely  have  presumed,  that  in  Eli  there  would  have  been 
found  much  of  prudent  caution,  of  daily  vigilance,  and 
strict  integrity.  But,  alas !  instead  of  this — thus  exalted 
in  Israel,  it  was  only  to  stand  at  the  head  of  a  list  of 
human  beings,  not  one  of  which  should  ever  reach  his 
advanced  years,  and  many  of  which  were  appointed  to 
die  in  the  flower  of  their  age ! 

After  a  perusal  of  the  whole  of  this  affecting  narrative, 
we  see  a  Parent,  venerable  in  point  of  age  and  office, 
charged  with,  not  what  is  generally  styled,  immorality  in 
practice  :  we  see  him  arraigned  only  for  his  failure  in 
action,  or  neglect  of  known  duty  :  we  see  how  difficult  it 
was  to  fix  upon  him  a  sufficient  consciousness  of  guilt  ; 
and  that  though  he  was  at  last  awakened  to  a  sense  of  his 
folly,  alas !  it  was  too  late  for  him,  either  to  recover  his 


VIEWED  IN  CONTRAST.  213 

steps,  or  change  the  solemn  and  determined  purpose  of 
Heaven  !  Each  of  these  features  in  this  story  require  to 
be  more  distinctly  noticed. 

First, — His  failure  in  parental  duty .  Throughout  the 
whole  of  this  sad  tale,  nothing  else,  and  nothing  more 
than  this,  is  brought  in  charge  against  Eli. 

From  natural  timidity,  or  the  love  of  ease,  he  seems  to 
have  shrunk  from  exertion  and  trouble.  Of  authority  he 
was  in  ample  possession,  as  being  not  only  the  Parent  of 
his  children,  but  also  High  Priest,  and  even  the  Judge  of 
Israel.  Each  of  these  characters  equally  suggested  to 
him  the  importance  of  exerting  his  authority  when  it 
became  necessary.  Looking  fully  into  the  case,  as  a 
Parent  he  ought  to  have  "  restrained"  these  young  men; 
as  High  Priest  he  ought  to  have  excommunicated  ;  nay,  if 
they  would  not  obey,  and  did  not  desist  from  such  sin,  as 
Judge  belonged  to  him  the  awful  duty  of  even  pronouncing 
upon  them  sentence  of  death.  Amidst  such  weight  of 
obligation,  it  is,  however,  the  character  of  Parent  which 
is  selected  to  illustrate  the  extent  of  his  guilt ;  and  cer- 
tainly when  that  guilt  is  contemplated,  it  is  marvellous 
that  such  a  Parent  should  have  been  so  blind  and  inactive. 
You  see  him  go  on  indulging  in  effect,  nay  even  conniv- 
ing at  the  practices  of  his  sons,  till  they  had  actually 
become  "customs;"  and  it  is  not  improbable  that  Eli 
might  have  often  partaken  of  the  food,  so  sacrilegiously 
obtained  by  them  or  their  servants,  now  grown  so  insolent. 
But  without  noticing  other  sins,  what  was  the  nature  of 
their  offensive  customs,  so  far  as  sacrifice  to  Jehovah  was 
concerned  ?  To  them,  as  Priests,  certain  portions  of  the 
animal,  excellent  in  themselves,  belonged, — the  breast, 
the  right  shoulder,  and  several  other  parts ;  yet,  in 
wanton  violation  of  this  express  and  universal  law,  would 
they,  or  even  their  servants,  seize  instantly,  or  even  by 
force,  whatever  they  chose  !  The  fat  of  these  animals 
was  to  be  burned,  without  fail,  upon  the  altar  of  God,- 


214  OBEDIENCE  AND  NEGLECT 

ceremony  which,  by  itself,  was  essential  to  the  acceptance 
of  the  sacrifice,  inasmuch  as  it  was  typical  of  the  sacrifice 
of  Christ,  as  well  as  expressive  of  the  repentance  and 
faith  of  the  offerer.  To  this,  as  well  as  to  the  former 
regulation,  they  paid  no  regard ;  "  wherefore  the  sin  of 
the  young  men  was  very  great  before  the  Lord ;  for  men 
abhorred  the  offering  of  the  Lord."  Hence  ignorance,  or 
ungodliness  and  profaneness,  if  not  idolatry,  were  sure  to 
prevail. 

Eli's  failure,  however,  consisted  not  in  entire  silence. 
He  was  not  afraid  of  telling  his  sons  of  their  iniquity  ;  and 
in  doing  so,  he  discovers  his  entire  knowledge  of  their 
whole  conduct.  Nay,  he  remonstrated  with  them,  and 
even  set  their  guilt  and  danger  before  them  in  the  stron- 
gest terms :  "  If  a  man  sin  against  another,"  said  he, 
"the  Judge  shall  judge  him  ;  but  if  a  man  sin  against  the 
Lord,  who  shall  entreat  for  him?"  But  what  signified 
words  only  in  such  a  case?  What  was  the  use  or  value 
of  his  authority,  if,  on  such  an  occasion  as  this,  it  was 
not  to  be  exerted  with  effect  ?  Therefore,  though  he  thus 
remonstrated  with  his  children,  as  he  only  remonstrated, 
for  this  he  receives  no  token  of  approbation  whatever ; 
so  far  from  it,  he  is  just  about  to  be  solemnly  charged, 
precisely  as  we  do  an  accomplice  in  crime.  But  mark 
how  difficult  it  is  to  rouse  the  mind  even  of  a  Parent,  and 
that  with  regard  to  his  own  children,  after  a  course  of 
criminal  easiness  and  neglect  of  duty  ! 

Second, —  The  various  means  which  were  requisite  to 
convince  him  of  his  negligence  and  guilt. 

From  his  lethargy,  Eli  might,  without  doubt,  have  been 
fully  awakened,  long  before  the  night  on  which  Samuel 
so  frequently  disturbed  his  repose.  If  that  dear  Child  ran 
to  him,  and  awakened  him  not  less  than  three  times;  even 
this  was  portentous,  and,  it  seems  not  at  all  improbable, 
was  also  intended  to  stir  him  up,  by  putting  him  in  re- 
membrance of  neglected  warnings.  At  all  events,  he  had 


VIEWED  IN  CONTRAST,  215 

been  at  least  as  frequently  called  upon,  before  this  period, 
to  the  consideration  of  his  duty. 

1.  The  character  and  conduct  of  Elkanah  and  Han- 
nah were  in  themselves  calculated  to  do  so.     The  inter- 
view which  he  had  with  the  mother  of  Samuel  before  he 
was  born,  proves  that  Eli  was  far  from  being  insensible  to 
the  evil  of  sin  in  others ;  while  the  entire  surrender  and 
dedication  of  such  a  Child  unto  God,  by  both  Parents,  and 
their  leaving  him,  at  such  an  early  age,  "  to  minister  unto 
the  Lord  before  Eli,"  was  a  standing  reproof  to  him,  who 
did  not  scrutinize  the  conduct  of  his  own  sons,  now  fit 
in  point  of  age,  and  under  obligation  in  point  of  office,  to 
devote  themselves  entirely  to  the  sanctuary.    I  do  not  say, 
that  he  was  altogether  unmoved ;   for  Hannah's  present  of 
Samuel   seems   to  have   made  some  impression.      If  Eli 
"worshipped  the   Lord  there,"  after  such  a  gift,  it  was 
well,  but,  alas !  he  is  roused  neither  to  a  sense  of  his  own 
danger  nor  his  guilt. 

2.  Did  he  not  hear  the  awakening  language  of  Hannah 
herself,  under  divine  influence,  when  she  said — 

"  He  will  keep  the  feet  of  his  saints, 
But  the  wicked  shall  be  silent  in  darkness; 
For  by  strength  shall  no  man  prevail. 
The  adversaries  of  the  Lord  shall  be  crushed, 
Out  of  heaven  shall  He  thunder  upon  them. 
The  Lord  shall  judge  the  ends  of  the  earth; 
He  shall  give  strength  unto  his  KING, 
And  exalt  the  horn  of  his  MESSIAH  ?  * 

3.  A  third,  and  far  more  solemn,  premonition,  however, 
awaited  Eli,  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-eight,  when  a 

*  By  the  way,  the  reader  may  here  observe  Hannah  describing 
the  promised  Saviour  of  the  world,  as  a  King,  before  there  was  any 
king  in  Israel ;  and  first  applying  to  him  the  remarkable  epithet 
Messiah,  in  Hebrew  ;  Christ,  in  Greek  ;  and  Anointed,  in  English; 
which  was  adopted  by  David  and  Nathan,  Isaiah  and  Daniel,  and 
the  succeeding  prophets  of  the  Old  Testament,  as  well  as  the 
apostles  and  inspired  writers  of  the  New. — Hales,  ii.  332. 


216  OBEDIENCE  AND  NEGLECT 

prophet  of  God  came  to  him,  and  charged  him  as  an 
accomplice  in  the  crimes  of  his  children,  saying,  "  Thus 
saith  the  Lord, — 

"  Did  I  plainly  appear  unto  the  house  of  thy  Father, 

When  they  were  in  Egypt,  in  Pharaoh's  house  ? 

And  did  1  choose  him  out  of  all  the  tribes  of  Israel  to  be  my  Priest  ? 

To  offer  upon  mine  altar,  to  burn  incense,  to  wear  an  ephod  before  me  ? 

And  did  I  give  to  the  house  of  thy  Father, 

All  the  offerings  made  by  fire  of  the  Children  of  Israel  ? 

Wherefore  kick  ye  at  my  sacrifice,  and  at  mine  offering, 

Which  I  have  commanded  in  my  habitation  ? 

And  honorest  thy  Sons  above  me,  to  make  yourselves  fat 

With  the  chiefest  of  all  the  offerings  of  Israel  my  people  ? 
Wherefore  the  Lord,  the  God  of  Israel  saith, 
I  said  indeed  that  thy  house,  and  the  house  of  thy  Father, 
Should  walk  before  me  for  ever: 
But  now  the  Lord  saith,  Be  il  far  from  me; 
For  them  that  honor  me,  I  will  honor, 
And  they  that  despise  me,  shall  be  lightly  esteemed. 

Behold  the  days  come,  that  I  will  cut  off  thine  arm, 

And  the  arm  of  thy  Father's  house; 

And  there  shall  not  be  an  old  man  in  thine  house  : 

And  thou  shalt  see  the  affliction  of  the  tabernacle, 
Instead  of  all  the  wealth  which  God  would  have  given  Israel  :* 

And  there  shall  not  be  an  old  man  in  thine  house  for  ever. 

And  the  man  of  thine,  whom  I  shall  not  cut  off  from  mine  altar, 

Shall  be  to  consume  thine  eyes,  and  to  grieve  thine  heart, 

And  all  the  increase  of  thine  house  shall  die  in  the  flower  of  their  age. 
And  this  shall  be  a  sign  unto  thee, 
That  shall  come  upon  thy  Sons, 
On  Hophni  and  Phineas, 
In  one  day  they  shall  die,  both  of  them  ! 

And  I  will  raise  me  up  a  faithful  Priest, 

That  shall  do  according  to  all  that  is  in  mine  heart  and  in  my  mind. 

And  I  will  build  him  a  sure  house ; 

And  he  shall  walk  before  mine  anointed  for  ever. 
And  it  shall  come  to  pass,  that  every  one  that  is  left  in  thine  house 
Shall  come  and  crouch  to  him  forapiece  of  silver,  and  a  morsel  of  bread, 
And  shall  say,  Put  me  into  somewhat  about  the  priesthood, 
That  I  may  eat  a  piece  of  bread  !" 

*  This  appears  to  be  the  true  translation  ;  and  accordingly  Eli  did 
see  the  tabernacle  deprived  of  the  ark,  which  was  its  glory,  and 
lived  to  hear  that  it  was  captured  by  the  Philistines. 


VIEWED  IN  CONTRAST.  217 

After  such  an  awful,  such  an  heart-rending  premonition 
as  this,  surely  some  effect  will  follow.  Eli  must  be  roused. 
But,  no !  if  he  even  said  any  thing,  it  was  not  deemed  to 
be  worth  recording :  that  he  did  nothing  seems  but  too 
evident,  from  the  fact,  that  seven  or  eight  years  passed 
away  before  another  messenger  was  sent  to  him.  At  last, 
then,  since  Eli  has  trifled  so  long  with  parental  obliga- 
tions, and  since  he  will  not.  positively  "  restrain  "  these 
children,  even  this  child  Samuel  has  been  reared  up  be- 
fore his  eyes  to  rebuke  him.  God  had  spoken  twice,  nay 
thrice,  yet  he  had  not  perceived.  Now  he  shall  be 
awaked  from  his  slumbers  three  times  in  one  night,  and 
then  left  in  awful  suspense  until  the  morning,  as  to  what 
awaited  him.  A  man  of  God  had  been  sent  to  him  years 
before,  and  now,  after  ample  time  and  space  for  repent- 
ance, there  is  sent  to  him  literally  a  child.  Conscious,  it 
seems,  of  his  constitutional  failing,  and  of  the  sad  torpor 
of  his  mind,  at  last  he  is  anxiously  alive  and  in  earnest. 
"  And  Samuel  lay  until  the  morning,  and  opened  the 
doors  of  the  house  of  the  Lord.  And  Samuel  feared  to 
show  Eli  the  vision.  Then  Eli  called  Samuel,  and  said, 
Samuel,  my  son.  And  he  answered,  Here  am  I.  And  he 
said,  What  is  the  thing  that  the  Lord  hath  said  unto  thee? 
I  pray  thee  hide  it  not  from  me :  God  do  so  to  thee  and 
more  also,  if  thou  hide  any  thing  from  me,  of  all  the  things 
that  he  said  unto  thee."  Who  will  not  admire  the  deli- 
cate sensibility  of  this  child,  in  not  saying  a  word  till  he 
is  sent  for ;  and  his  fidelity,  in  not  concealing  one  word 
when  he  is  questioned !  For  "  Samuel  told  him  every 
whit,  and  hid  nothing  from  him."  But  what  did  he  say? 
More  awful  language  he  could  not  employ  than  that  which 
Eli  had  already  heard.  No,  certainly ;  but  to  Eli's  ear  jj 
must  have  been  more  awful,  from  its  being  at  once  the 
dreadful  reverberation  of  a  neglected  warning,  and  aR 
19 


218  OBEDIENCE  AND  NEGLECT 

explicit  testimony  to  the  sufficiency  of  that  warning. 
"  And  the  Lord  said  to  Samuel,  Behold,  I  will  do  a  thing 
in  Israel,  at  which  both  the  ears  of  every  one  that  heareth 
it  shall  tingle." 

"  In  that  day  I  will  perform  against  Eli, 
All  which  I  have  spoken  concerning  his  house. 
When  I  begin,  I  will  also  make  an  end. 

For  I  have  told  him,  that  I  will  judge  his  house  for  ever 

For  the  iniquity  which  he  knoweth, 

Because  his  sons  made  themselves  vile, 

And  he  restrained  them  not. 

And  therefore  I  have  swcrn  unto  the  house  of  Eli, 
That  the  iniquity  of  Eli's  house 
Shall  not  be  purged  with  sacrifice  nor  offering  for  ever." 

Yet,  roused  as  Eli  was  at  last  to  his  criminal  negligence, 
what  did  it  avail  ?  It  is  true,  that  nine  or  ten  years  are 
yet  to  elapse  before  he  and  his  Sons  die  in  one  day ;  but 
there  is  a  certain  bound  to  imprudence  and  misbehavior, 
which  being  transgressed,  there  remains  no  possibility 
of  redressing  the  grievance.  To  every  thing  there  is  a 
season,  and  a  time  to  every  purpose  under  the  heavens. 
"It  is  further  very  much  to  be  remarked,  that  neglects 
from  inconsiderateness, — want  of  attention, — not  looking 
about  us  to  see  what  we  have  to  do,  are  often  attended 
with  consequences  altogether  as  dreadful  as  any  active 
misbehavior  from  the  most  extravagant  passion."* 

For  nineteen  years  had  Eli  held  the  office  of  priesthood 
before  Samuel  was  born :  after  this,  a  prophet  had  been 
sent  to  warn  him  in  such  terms,  that  one  is  astonished  at 
his  torpitude ;  for  still  he  delays  till  Samuel  is  grown  up, 
even  to  his  twelfth  year,  before  he  is  convinced  and  laid 
low  for  his  remiss  conduct !  It  now  therefore  only  re- 
mains for  the  reader  to  mark  the  inevitable  and  awful 
results  of  Parental  remissness. 

*  Butler. 


VIEWED  IN  CONTRAST.  219 

Third,  The  ruin  which  ensued  from  the  negligence  and 
torpor  of  even  a  religious  Parent. 

As  in  many,  if  not  in  most  cases,  it  does  not  comport 
with  infinite  wisdom  arid  divine  forbearance,  that  the  pun- 
ishment of  neglect  should  follow  immediately  :  so  now  we 
are  to  see,  that  "  the  delay  of  punishment  is  no  sort  or 
degree  of  presumption  of  final  impunity."  Long  indeed 
had  the  Almighty  been  of  beginning,  but  now  he  tells 
Eli,  and  by  the  lips  of  a  child,  "When  I  begin  I  will  also 
make  an  end."  After  such  delay,  too,  it  is  observable, 
that  vengeance  comes  not  by  degrees,  but  suddenly,  with 
violence  and  at  once.  In  one  day,  Hophni  and  Phineas 
are  slain,  and  thirty  thousand  men  with  them ;  the  ark  of 
God  itself  is  taken,  and  at  this  intelligence,  before  the  sun 
is  set,  at  the  age  of  ninety-eight,  Eli  also  expires  !  Even 
his  daughter-in-law,  the  wife  of  Phineas,  apparently  a 
good  woman,  can  live  no  longer.  On  the  same  day  she 
also  dies,  leaving  an  orphan  behind  her,  to  look  back  on 
this  as  the  day  on  which  he  was  born !  With  her  dying 
breath,  too,  she  named  him  Ichabod,  or  where  is  the 
glory  1  for  she  said,  "  the  glory  is  departed  from  Israel." 

Long,  however,  had  Jehovah  borne  with  Eli,  and  long 
will  he  continue  to  testify  to  his  guilt  and  sin.  Many, 
many  years  pass  away,  when  "in  one  day"  again,  be- 
sides Abirnelech,  the  great-grandson  of  Eli,  not  less  than 
eighty-four  priests  of  his  house  are  slain,  with  their  entire 
families !  Neither  man,  or  woman,  child  or  suckling,  is 
spared'  by  the  cruel  hand  of  Doeg  the  Edomite.  "  The 
sins  of  pious  individuals  among  Eli's  posterity  would  be 
pardoned  through  the  sacrifice  of  Christ  for  their  eternal 
salvation ;  but  the  Lord  had  determined  that  no  number 
of  sin-offerings  or  oblations  should  prevail  with  him  to 
continue  that  family  in  the  priesthood."*  On  this  ac- 
count, we  find  that  even  this  slaughter  was  not  the  final 

*  Scott. 


220  OBEDIENCE  AND  NEGLECT 

testimony  of  his  displeasure.  On  that  awful  day,  David, 
in  another  part  of  Judea,  was  flying  before  the  face  of 
Saul,  and  though,  in  this  case,  he  certainly  did  not  deserve 
it,  yet,  fortunately  for  his  comfort,  one  individual  ran  and 
escaped  the  edge  of  the  sword.  "  And  Abiathar  showed 
David  that  Saul  had  slain  the  Lord's  priests.  And  David 
said  to  Abiathar,  I  knew  it  that  day  when  Doeg  the 
Edomite  was  there,  that  he  would  surely  tell  Saul.  I 
have  occasioned  the  death  of  all  the  persons  of  thy  Father's 
house.  Abide  thou  with  me,  fear  not :  for  he  that  seeketh 
my  life  seeketh  thy  life :  but  with  me  thou  shalt  be  in 
safeguard."  Still  the  eye  of  the  Lord  must  follow  this 
descendant  of  Eli,  and  as  a  warning  to  Parents,  so  should 
theirs. 

Eli's  sin,  let  it  be  remembered,  had  consisted  in  honor- 
ing his  Sons  above  the  Lord — in  despising  the  sacred 
character  and  obligations  of  the  priesthood :  and  there- 
fore, so  far  down  as  the  days  of  Solomon,  more  than  a 
hundred  years  after  Eli's  death,  when  the  Jewish  economy 
was  about  to  shine  out  in  all  its  glory ;  when  the  temple 
was  going  to  be  erected,  and  the  ark,  which  Eli  had  so 
dishonored,  was  to  become  stationary  in  that  magnificent 
abode ;  then  must  the  lineal  descendant  of  Eli  be  brought 
into  view ;  and  though  of  a  high  character  on  the  whole, 
must  he  be  excluded  from  the  priesthood,  and  banished  to 
his  own  estate  in  the  country.  "  And  unto  Abiathar  the 
priest  said  the  king,  Get  thee  to  Anathoth,  unto  thine  own 
fields  ;  for  thou  art  worthy  of  death  :  but  I  will  not  at  this 
time  put  thee  to  death,  because  thou  barest  the  ark  of  the 
Lord  God  before  David  my  Father,  and  because  thou  hast 
been  afflicted  in  all  wherein  my  father  was  afflicted.  So 
Solomon  thrust  out  Abiathar  from  being  priest  unto  the 
Lord,  that  he  might  fulfil  the  word  of  the  Lord  which  he 
spake  concerning  the  house  of  Eli  in  Shiloh." 

After  this  we  read  no  more  of  Eli's  posterity.     They 


VIEWED  IN  CONTRAST.  221 

sink  into  oblivion ;  though,  without  doubt,  all  was  fulfilled, 
to  the  very  letter  of  the  prophecies  which  went  before  on 
him  and  his.  As  his  Sons  had  run  to  great  excess,  their 
posterity  must,  it  seems,  be  pinched  with  poverty;  and 
as  they  delighted  to  gratify  a  pampered  appetite,  their 
Children  must  another  day  beg  for  their  mere  sustenance : 
nay,  at  last,  come  and  crouch  even  to  the  priest  of  the 
day,  and  do  so,  saying,  "  Join  me  to  somewhat  about  the 
priesthood,  that  I  may  eat  a  piece  of  bread." 

What  a  contrast,  then,  is  there  between  Abraham  and 
Eli !  Yet  is  this  not  a  contrast  between  an  eminently 
good  and  a  positively  bad  man.  No,  it  is  a  contrast 
between  a  consistent  or  vigilant,  and  a  negligent  or  over- 
indulgent  Father  of  a  family.  Eli's  sad  and  melancholy 
case  is  mainly  intended  to  admonish  a  Parent  of  the 
dreadful  consequences  resulting  from  his  love  of  ease, — 
his  negligence  and  procrastination,  or  his  trifling  with 
obligations  so  sacred  and  so  important  to  posterity. 

It  is  granted,  indeed,  and  with  some  alleviation  to  the 
feelings  of  the  reader,  it  is  noticed,  that  one  solitary  gleam 
of  comfort  is  found  towards  the  close  of  this  narrative, 
but  it  serves  chiefly  to  make  the  surrounding  gloom  more 
affecting  and  impressive.  Yes,  though  Eli  had  been  long 
most  criminally  indulgent  to  his  Children,  to  his  guilt  and 
folly  he  was  at  last  fully  awakened,  and  for  nine  long 
years,  at  least,  he  lived  to  lament  both.  So,  on  the  event- 
ful day  on  which  his  Sons  and  himself  died,  his  principal 
anxiety  seems  to  have  been  about  the  ark  of  God.  "  When 
he  heard  that  it  was  taken  by  the  enemy,  his  reflections 
on  the  dishonor  to  God  and  to  religion,  and  the  dreadful 
loss  to  his  people,  which  his  sins  and  negligence  had 
occasioned,  were  more  than  he  could  support.  Thus  his 
death,  under  divine  rebuke  for  his  sins,  has  been  a  salu- 
tary warning  to  Parents  even  to  the  present  day.  Let  it 
not,  however,  be  overlooked,  that,  in  the  circumstances 
19* 


222  OBEDIENCE  AND  NEGLECT 

of  it,  Eli  distinctly  testified  his  supreme  regard  to  the 
honor  of  God  above  all  personal  or  relative  considerations: 
and,  notwithstanding  all  his  faults,  he  died  in  the  exercise 
of  love  to  God  and  his  ordinances,  and  even  it  should 
seem  by  occasion  of  this.  '  And  it  came  to  pass,  when 
the  messenger  made  mention  of  the  ark  of  God,  that  he 
fell  from  off  the  seat  backward  by  the  side  of  the  gate, 
and  his  neck  broke,  and  he  died :  for  he  was  an  old  man 
and  heavy.'  "* 

Still,  however,  after  all  that  can  be  said  as  to  Eli's 
personal  piety  or  ultimate  salvation,  such  is  the  contrast 
between  the  success  which  follows  from  a  Parent's  vigi- 
lance, and  the  dreadful  ruin  which  ensues  from  his  neglect 
of  known  duty. — Such  the  difference  between  the  blessing 
and  the  curse  of  Almighty  God  resting  on  a  Parent  and 
his  posterity !  This  striking  contrast,  therefore,  I  again 
repeat,  will  serve  to  show  the  reader,  that  there  is  no 
respect  of  persons  with  God,  and  that  he  is  determined  to 
act  on  the  same  solemn  principles  with  his  own  people  as 
with  those  who  do  not,  in  any  degree,  acknowledge  his 
authority. 

Let  every  man,  therefore,  have  a  care  lest  he  imagine, 
that  in  the  scheme  of  salvation  there  is  the  most  distant 
approach  to  any  thing  analogous  to  what  is  called  favor- 
itism among  men :  and  let  every  Parent  especially  learn, 
from  the  sad  experience  of  Eli,  that  a  man's  personal 
interest  in  the  divine  favor  will  prove  no  security  against 
the  application  of  God's  unalterable  law,  with  regard  to 
the  connection  between  Parents  and  Children.  Never,  for 
one  moment,  let  any  Parent  imagine,  that,  in  one  instance, 
or  in  any  age,  the  richness  and  peculiarity  of  the  covenant 
of  grace  can  be  supposed  to  invade  the  established  govern- 
ment of  God  over  mankind  :  since  it  is  actually  the  grand 
and  only  preparative  to  its  universal  recognition  and 

*  Scott. 


VIEWED  IN  CONTRAST.  303 

establishment.  When,  therefore,  Christian  Parents  are 
so  judged  in  this  world,  it  is  that  they  may  not  be  pun- 
ished with  the  finally  impenitent.  "  I  will  be  his  Father 
and  he  shall  be  my  Son,"  said  the  Almighty  to  David,  in 
reference  to  Solomon;  but  he  added  immediately,  "if  he 
commit  iniquity,  I  will  chasten  him  with  the  rod  of  men, 
and  with  the  stripes  of  the  Children  of  men."  And  again 
— "  You  only  have  I  known  of  all  the  families  of  the 
earth,  and  therefore  will  I  punish  you  for  all  your 
iniquities." 

In  one  word,  obedience  on  the  part  of  the  Christian  or 
the  Christian  Parent  secures  for  him  all  the  inestimable, 
the  boundless  blessings  of  God's  everlasting  covenant ; 
while  neglect  of  duty  or  disobedience  only  renders  the 
punishment  more  weighty  and  severe.  Let  him  be  who 
he  may,  and  his  official  station  ever  so  eminent,  "He 
that  troubleth  his  own  house  shall  inherit  the  wind,"  and 
the  evils  which  he  brings  on  his  dependents,  are  doubled 
to  himself!  But  the  Christian  trembles  at  the  merciful 
forewarning  of  Heaven,  and  even  in  his  own  experience 
finds  a  monitor. — "  For  we  know  him  that  hath  said,  Ven- 
geance is  mine,  and  I  will  repay,  saith  the  Lord  ; — and 
again  ;  the  Lord  shall  judge  his  people.  It  is  a  fearful 
thing  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  living  God." — "  For  I 
the  Lord  thy  God  am  a  jealous  God ;  visiting  the  iniqui- 
ties of  the  Fathers  upon  the  Children  unto  the  third  and 
fourth  generations  of  them  that  hate  me  ;  and  shewing 
mercy  unto  thousands  of  them  that  love  me  and  keep  my 
commandments." 


SECTION  SECOND. 

THE   CAUSES   OF   FAILURE   TRACED   TO   THEIR 
SOURCE . 

The  failure  of  Parents  to  be  ascribed  to  a  tendency  of  heart — dis- 
played in  undue  severity — over  indulgence — a  baneful  inequality 
of  treatment — or  sinful  partiality. 

HITHERTO  we  have  been  endeavoring  to  illustrate  the 
nature  of  the  Constitution  in  a  human  family,  by  bringing 
the  light  of  divine  truth  to  bear  upon  it ;  and  this  mainly 
with  a  view  to  Parents  feeling  at  once  the  solemn  re- 
sponsibility and  high  privileges  of  their  situation.  There 
is,  however,  a  mighty  difference  between  things  as  they 
ought  to  be,  and  things  as  they  are.  "  The  heavens  are 
the  Lord's,"  and  order  has  he  there  maintained.  "  The 
earth  he  hath  given  to  the  children  of  men  ; "  and  if  we 
desire  to  see  the  use  which  they  have  made  of  it,  we  need 
not  travel  over  any  of  its  kingdoms.  Enter  into  the  bosom 
of  a  single  family,  where  "the  hearts  of  the  Parents  are 
not  turned  towards  the  Children,"  and,  consequently,  "the 
hearts  of  the  Children  are  not  turned  to  the  Parents,"  and 
there  we  see  in  miniature  a  picture  of  any  village,  of  any 
town  or  city,  nay,  of  the  earth  at  large,  wherever  Chris- 
tianity does  not  prevail. 

To  return,  therefore,  to  the  Prophet  Malachi :  notwith- 
standing the  admirable  construction  of  the  human  family, 


THE  CAUSES  OF  FAILURE,  &c. 

in  his  language  it  is  implied,  that  there  is  a  melancholy 
tendency  to  failure  here,  and  that  too  a  tendency  of  the 
heart.  "  He  shall  turn  the  heart  of  the  Fathers  to  the 
Children."  One  party  failing,  at  least,  in  the  way  of 
neglect,  and  the  other  in  the  ^way  of  disobedience.  So 
when  the  angel  of  the  Lord  glances  at  this  passage,  he 
says, — "  He  shall  turn  the  disobedient  to  the  wisdom  of 
the  just." 

To  begin,  however,  as  the  Scriptures  do,  with  the 
Parent :  Why,  it  may  be  inquired,  should  this  ever  be 
the  case  ?  Is  there  any  feeling,  under  heaven,  stronger 
than  this  parental  love,  or  any  upon  which  we  may  with 
more  confidence  depend?  Does  not  the  Almighty  him- 
self appeal  to  it,  and  even  by  reference  to  it,  condescend 
to  explain  his  own  pity  to  his  children  ?  Is  it  not  in- 
stinctive, and  generally  styled  natural  affection  ?  In 
short,  where  can  we  find  any  feeling  superior  in  power 
and  in  constancy? — To  all  these  questions  there  is  but 
one  reply.  This,  like  every  other  natural  feeling  of  our 
fallen  nature,  must  be  brought  under  the  sway  of  divine 
revelation  ;  and  not  until  it  is  regulated  and  promoted  by 
divine  influence,  can  it  be  pronounced  in  its  healthy,  and 
beneficial,  and  most  vigorous  exercise.  I  go  even  far- 
ther than  this.  Even  after  the  dominion  of  sin  has  been 
broken  ;  after  the  Parents  themselves  have  been  turned  to 
the  Lord  their  God,  there  is,  alas  !  still  in  many,  if  not  in 
all,  some  remaining  tendency  at  least  to  failure.  Nor  is 
it  impossible  to  account  for  this.  Were  natural  connec- 
tion all  that  existed  between  Parent  and  Child,  the  case 
would  be  different ;  but  this  happens  to  be  nearly  the 
strongest  moral  as  well  as  natural  connection  which  man 
sustains.  This  connection  involves  the  performance  of  so 
many  duties,  and  these  require  to  be  performed  with  such 
constancy  and  perseverance ;  with  such  a  mixture  of 
patience  and  firmness ;  with  so  much  of  tender  sympathy 


226  THE  CAUSES  OF  FAILURE 

and  self-command :  in  short,  the  milder  and  the  stronger 
virtues  require  to  be  so  interwoven,  that  without  an  im- 
perious sense  of  obligation,  daily  felt,  many  affecting  and 
even  fatal  mistakes  will  be  committed. 

This  tendency  of  the  heart  discovers  itself  in  courses 
entirely  at  variance  with  each  other  ;  but  almost  every 
case  of  failure  in  Parents  may  be  arranged  under  one  or 
other  of  the  four  following  divisions  : 

1.  Undue  Severity. — This  is  assuredly  a  most  unwise 
extreme;  since,  after  it  is  carried  a  certain  length,  and 
has  continued  a  certain  time,  no  subsequent  treatment,  by 
any  individual,  can  completely,  if  at  all,  repair  the  injury. 
To  whatever  degree  this  is  carried,  the  injury  in  such  case 
involves  a  corresponding  injury  inflicted  on  the  spirit  of 
the  Children,  which  is  nothing  short  of  a  vital  injury. 
In  training  even  the  animal  creation,  a  greater  injury 
cannot  be  inflicted  than  to  inflame  or  break  the  spirit; 
and  in  the  instance  of  a  Child,  a  being  born  for  immor- 
tality, how  great  must  be  such  a  crime!  Besides,  ac- 
cording to  the  tender  language  of  Scripture,  men  are 
cautioned  lest  they  should  approach  such  a  point,  as 
though  it  were  the  edge  of  a  precipice.  "Fathers,  pro- 
voke not  your  Children  to  anger,  lest  they  be  discouraged" 
After  this,  what  can  the  Parent  do  ?  He  may  change  his 
conduct  and  caress,  he  may  humor,  but  this  only  aggra- 
vates the  evil !  By  his  blind  and  unthinking  precipitancy 
and  impatience,  when  correcting  or  restraining  "  after  his 
own  pleasure,"  he  has  not  only  gone  too  far,  but  he  can- 
not now  retrace  his  steps!  He  may  repent,  and  even 
confess,  but  in  many  instances  even  this  is  all  in  vain. 
The  period  allotted  to  him,  by  the  wise  and  unalterable 
judgment  of  Heaven,  has  been  ill  employed  ;  and  though 
time  there  was,  when,  if  his  error  had  been  seen,  it  might 
have  been  at  least  in  part  repaired,  that,  time  is  now  gone, 


TRACED  TO  THEIR  SOURCE.  227 

and  gone  for  ever  !*  Nay,  what  is  truly  affecting,  if  this 
Child  happens  to  be  the  eldest,  the  Parent  finds  to  his 
cost,  that  he  has  been  the  instrument  of  introducing  a 
disease,  like  a  fretting  leprosy,  into  his  family,  which  may, 
and  probably  will,  infect  the  rest,  while  this  Child  remains 
with  them.  His  sullen,  unbroken  spirit;  his  self-will,  or, 
in  some  instances,  sunk  and  melancholy  frame  of  mind, 
they  all  too  easily  perceive ;  and  the  unhappy  Child  there 
continues  the  heart-break  of  the  Parents,  as  well  as  the 
pest,  or  stumbling-block,  or  curse,  of  Brothers  and  Sisters. 
The  Child,  however,  after  all  this,  is  not  the  original 


*  Whatever  may  be  said  of  her  vices,  confessedly  great,  one  of 
the  most  powerful  minds  which  appeared  during  that  awful  tragedy, 
the  French  Revolution,  was  found  in  the  person  of  a  female.  In 
the  course  of  a  single  morning,  the  last  mistake  was  committed  by 
her  injudicious  and  passionate  Father,  when  brutally  forcing  her  to 
swallow  a  medicine.  From  that  moment  the  reins  were  gone,  and 
many  years  afterwards  she  observed, — "  I  experienced  the  same 
inflexible  firmness  that  I  have  since  felt  on  great  and  trying  occa- 
sions; nor  would  it,  at  this  moment,  cost  me  more  to  ascend  un- 
dauntedly the  scaffold,  than  it  then  did  to  resign  myself  to  brutal 
treatment,  which  might  have  killed,  but  could  not  conquer  me." 
Poor  woman !  had  she  fallen  into  different  hands,  how  different  had 
been  her  future  life,  and  though  it  is  hard  to  say,  perhaps  then,  even 
in  these  perilous  times,  she  might  not  have  ended  her  days,  as  she 
did,  on  a  scaffold.  On  the  morning  referred  to,  Madame  Rolland 
was  not  yet  seven  years  of  age  !  Her  Father,  at  one  moment 
infuriated  with  passion,  and  at  another  caring  little  about  what  was 
going  on  in  his  house,  provided  no  one  complained  of  his  external 
intrigues,  and  that  he  had  a  good  dish  of  coffee  for  breakfast,  good 
soup  for  dinner,  and  some  fresh  eggs  and  a  salad  for  supper — what 
else  could  become  of  his  daughter?  Yet  this  Parent  has  been  styled 
a  good-natured,  peaceable  kind  of  man!  If  any  person  has  been 
shocked  with  the  past  or  present  relaxation  of  moials,  in  that  other- 
wise fine  country,  let  not  this  be  ascribed  to  any  rtgimc,  whether 
ancient  or  modern,  but  to  its  true  cause — the  dissolution  of  the 
Family  compact — to  the  Parent  letting  go,  or  mismanaging,  the 
reins  of  domestic  government;  precisely  the  same  relaxation  which 
preceded  the  flood,  or  the  destruction  of  Sodom  and  the  destruction 
of  Jerusalem. 


228  THE  CAUSES  OF  FAILURE 

offender.  The  Father  or  Mother  is,  in  fact,  the  guiltiest 
party  ;  the  Child's  conduct  may  in  various  ways  be  traced 
to  their  negligence  or  misconduct ;  and  it  is  indeed  a  sad 
spectacle,  while  they  read  their  sin  in  their  punishment, 
and  carry  this  family-cross,  from  day  to  day,  to  find,  upon 
application  to  their  best  friends,  that  their  advice  proves 
of  no  avail.  I  know  of  few  errands  more  melancholy, 
than  that  of  a  Parent,  when,  at  his  wit's  end,  he  goes, 
with  reference  to  his  own  Child,  to  call  on  a  friend,  and 
ask  Ms  counsel  as  to  what  can  be  done  !  Such  being  but 
a  faint  and  imperfect  sketch  of  the  effects  of  undue 
severity,  let  Parents  take  especial  care,  that  however  their 
Children  should  behave,  all  their  conduct  has  flowed  from 
a  principle  of  tenderness  in  the  heart,  and  been  uniformly 
regulated  by  it.  However  the  discipline  and  good  order 
of  an  army  of  men  may  be  maintained,  neither  the  govern- 
ment nor  order  of  a  Family  can  be  secured  without  this 
feeling  of  tenderness. 

2.  Over-indulgence. — After  all  this,  it  may  seem  strange, 
though  it  actually  does  appear  true,  from  Scripture  itself, 
that  a  more  general  and  perhaps  much  more  fatal  cause  of 
failure,  lies  in  over-indulgence;  at  least  the  cautions 
against  this,  are  far  more  frequent,  and  more  pointed,  than 
against  the  other.  However  severe  the  means  may  seem, 
at  first  reading,  the  following,  among  many  other  passages, 
at  once  detect  the  real  secret  cause  of  such  indulgence, 
while  they  point  to  the  infinitely  important  and  merciful 
end  of  an  opposite  course.  "He  that  spareth  the  rod, 
hateth  his  son ;  but  he  that  loveth  him,  chasteneth  him 
betimes."  "  Chasten  thy  son,  while  there  is  hope,  and  let 
not  thy  soul  spare  for  his  crying."  "  Withhold  not  cor- 
rection from  the  child;"  let  him  at  least  have  justice 
done  to  him,  and  give  him  at  least  this  appointed  security 
against  future  ill :  "  for  if  thou  beatest  him  with  the  rod, 


TRACED  TO  THEIR  SOURCE.         229 

lie  shall  not  die,"     "  Thou  shalt  beat  him  with  the  rod, 
and  deliver  his  soul  from  helL" 

Whenever  Parents  read  such  passages,  it  would  be  well 
for  them  invariably  to  remember  that  they  were  given  by 
divine  inspiration,  and  are  not  the  elements  of  any  human 
plan  of  education,  ancient  or  modern.  To  reconcile 
them  still  farther,  or  to  induce  them  to  adopt  these  as 
principles  of  their  own,  let  them  only  remember,  that  the 
Author  of  our  existence  has  appointed  different  dis- 
positions as  essential  and  appropriate  to  different  periods 
of  life.  Hence,  if  Parents  really  wish  to  see,  in  the 
future  lives  of  their  Children,  happiness  and  usefulness 
combined,  and,  it  may  be,  eminence  of  character  and 
usefulness,  then  subordination  during  childhood  and  youth 
is  essential.  Have  you  not  observed,  that  all  these  useful 
and  great  characters,  of  whom  you  have  been  reading, 
were  under  government  in  early  life  ?  nay,  that  in  propor- 
tion to  their  future  eminence,  they  were  under  corres- 
ponding subordination,  either  as  to  duration,  or  what 
men  would  call  severity  ?  Witness  the  cases  of  Joseph 
and  Moses,  of  David  and  Daniel,  and  many  others.  The 
reason  of  this  law  of  Heaven  is  not,  like  some  others, 
inexplicable.  He  that  has  been  accustomed  to  obey  is 
best  qualified  to  rule ;  the  most  dutiful  daughter  makes 
the  best  Wife  and  Mother. 

Notwithstanding  all  this,  and  much  more  than  this, 
owing  to  the  perversity  of  human  nature,  unhappily  it 
seems  to  many  Parents,  that  over-indulgence  is  actually 
little  else  than  an  amiable  weakness.  "  His  children," 
say  others,  "  are  fine  children ;  but  their  Father,  good 
man,  is  too  indulgent."  Now,  it  has  been  granted  that 
Eli  was  a  good  man ;  but  what  did  this  avail  in  the  day  of 
his  calamity,  when  the  ruin  of  his  house,  and  the  degra- 
dation of  his  family,  were  so  directly  traced  up  to  him, 
and  to  his  want  of  principle,  displayed  in  over-indulgence  ? 
20 


230  THE  CAUSES  OF  FAILURE 

The  following  passage  is  often  quoted,  without  observing 
that  it  refers  directly  to  a  good  easy  Parent.  "  He  that 
despiseth  me,  shall  be  lightly  esteemed  ! " 

This  disposition  in  Parents  will  be  found  to  arise  from 
different  causes,  but  when  traced  to  its  source  in  the 
heart,  Christian  charity  for  it  is  at  an  end.  In  some 
Parents  it  is  to  be  ascribed  simply  to  their  eager  desire 
after  present  personal  ease,  or  gratification;  and  hence  a 
multitude  of  false  maxims  become  quite  current  in  such 
families.  "  The  children,"  says  the  Mother,  "  are  too 
young  yet;"  and  the  Father  replies, — "True,  they  are 
but  children,  and  what  else  can  we  expect?  Poor  things! 
one  cannot  find  in  their  heart  to  contradict  them  ;  do  let 
them  have  a  little  of  their  own  will.  Alas !  they  will  not 
always  have  this  in  their  power."  To  crown  the  whole, 
"  None  of  all  this,"  says  some  injudicious  friend,  "can  do 
them  any  harm,  provided  you  are  only  careful  when  they 
come  to  be  about  six  or  seven  years  of  age."  Thus  the 
good  easy  Parents  sit  down  to  enjoy  themselves,  perfectly 
satisfied  that  there  is  nothing  wrong,  and  that  not  only  no 
time  is  lost,  but  that  it  is  not  yet  time  to  begin. 

In  others,  over-indulgence  springs  from  mere  animal 
affection.  They  dote  on  their  Children  till  they  not  only 
become  a  sort  of  "  household  gods,"  but  the  poor  Children 
are  thus  daily  encircled  by  an  injudicious  and  blind 
fondness,  till  these  very  Parents  prove  to  have  been  the 
first  promoters  of  the  self-will,  if  not  the  ruin  of  their 
offspring.  All  the  pettish  humor,  and  the  peevish  impa- 
tience, which,  in  future  life,  make  them  drag  so  heavily 
along,  grew  up  luxuriantly  under  their  Parent's  eye ;  and 
they  actually  fostered  and  strengthened  what  ought  to 
have  been  supplanted  by  other  dispositions.  Ere  long  the 
roots  have  struck  deep,  and,  branching  out  into  every 
avenue  of  heart  and  soul,  it  is  beyond  the  power  of  nature 
to  do  any  thing.  Nay,  I  go  farther  :  let  the  Children 


TRACED  TO  THEIR  SOURCE.         33^ 

even  be  converted  to  God  ;  and  though  a  radical  change 
then  took  place,  which  is  confirmed  to  be  divine,  from  its 
abiding,  and  habitual,  and  growing  effects,  yet  it  is  almost 
certain,  that  the  perversity  of  nature  which,  in  Scripture, 
is  called  the  body  of  sin,  from  its  occupation,  and  the 
body  of  death,  from  its  effect,  is  vastly  more  burdensome 
and  grievous,  entirely  owing  to  the  guilty  easiness  of 
these  very  Parents. 

Thus,  whether  Parents  regard  the  fine  natural  buoyancy 
of  spirits,  and  the  natural  capacity,  whether  for  bearing 
the  ills,  or  enjoying  the  comforts  of  future  life,  as  men 
and  women  ;  or  whether  they  regard  their  profession  and 
possession  of  genuine  Christianity  in  this  vale  of  tears — 
oh !  let  them  beware  of  over-indulgence  :  beware  of  that 
false  tenderness,  which  some  indeed  would  dignify  with 
the  name  of  fine  feeling,  but  which  the  Scriptures  brand, 
most  truly,  with  no  other  epithet  than  that  of  hatred. 

3.  Inequality  of  Treatment. — Having  thus  imperfectly 
touched  on  these  two  extremes,  I  still  question  whether 
the  majority  of  failures  are  to  be  ascribed  to  either  the 
one  or  the  other.  There  appears  still  a  more  plentiful 
source  of  error  and  disappointment.  It  is  not  to  be  sup- 
posed that  the  majority  of  Parents  do  not  think  of  their 
Children,  and  of  their  future  well-being :  but  this  is  done 
periodically ;  and  great  inequality,  if  not  entire  relaxa- 
tion, intervenes  between  these  periods.  At  these  moments 
of  reflection,  oh!  could  swish  but  secure  the  end,  the  end 
would  be  gained  at  once ;  but  then  they  have  as  yet  no 
system,  which  is,  in  fact,  equivalent  to  having  no  prin- 
ciple. They  are  resolved,  however,  to  have  a  plan,  and 
week  after  week  it  is  to  be  acted  upon,  and  that  with 
determined  resolution.  Many  go  not  even  thus  far  ;  but 
whether  they  do  so  or  not,  all  these  Parents  proceed  with- 
out any  fixed,  that  is,  any  conscientious  principle.  The 


232  THE  CAUSES  OF  FAILURE 

whole  of  their  conduct  may  be  described  as  a  continued 
series  of  fits  and  starts ;  and  upon  careful  inspection,  it 
will,  I  presume,  be  found,  that  thousands,  nay  millions,  of 
lovely  children  are  ruined,  merely  owing  to  this  baneful 
inequality.  The  Parents  do  not  rise  into  such  passion  as 
the  first  extreme,  nor,  it  may  be,  dote  on  their  Children 
with  uniform  excess,  or  administer  daily  to  their  passions 
and  fretfulness,  like  the  second ;  but  their  conduct  is  not 
uniform,  because  they  are  not,  themselves,  governed  by 
law,  nor  have  they  any  conscientious  regard  to  Him  to 
whom  they  are  to  render  an  account.  At  one  time  they 
wink  or  smile  at  the  little  delinquencies  of  their  Children; 
at  another  they  evince  want  of  patience  and  tender  con- 
sideration. They  smile,  occasionally,  when  not  one  fea- 
ture should  have  been  relaxed;  and,  in  haste  or  impa- 
tience, at  another  time,  they  not  only  frown,  but  perhaps 
chastise,  when,  more  properly,  they  should  have  sat  down, 
and  calmly  reasoned  with  the  little  creature ;  explaining 
and  illustrating  so  as  to  prove,  that  they  themselves  are 
affected  by  sin,  and  are  afraid  of  it. 

In  one  word,  their  course  towards  their  Children  is  not 
self-consistent ;  and  imperfect  though  it  must  ever  be,  if  it 
is  inconsistent  with  itself,  there  are  few  deficiencies  which 
Children  more  quickly  detect,  and  there  is  not  one  of 
which  they  can  and  do  take  such  advantage.  When  the 
Parents  are  in  a  certain  humor,  then  they  ply  them  for 
favors  and  indulgences  without  end.  When  their  Parents 
are  not  in  this  humor,  they  frown,  or  chide,  or  even  chas- 
tise, but  the  Children  are  not  humbled.  No;  they  now 
know,  that  this  is  too  violent  to  last :  they  give  the  Parents 
no  credit  for  all  their  pains ;  and  the  day  is  coming  when 
they  will  assuredly  take  the  advantage,  and  by  fawning  or 
entreaty,  they  will  yet  have  reprisals  for  all  this  storm. 

So  essentially,  therefore,  does  any  Family-government 
depend  on  a  calm  and  steady  uniformity  of  conduct,  that 


TRACED  TO  THEIR  SOURCE.  233 

though  the  Parents  be  anxious  in  the  highest  degree,  if 
they  fail  in  this,  as  far  as  depends  upon  them,  all  must 
fail:  since  there  is  no  treatment  which  will  more  cer- 
tainly procure  the  displeasure  of  God,  than  that  which 
consists  in  fits  and  starts  of  animal  feeling.  I  might  here 
ask  such  Parents  to  be  themselves  the  judges,  and  answer 
— How  would  this  do  in  a  doctor  with  his  patients  ?  in  a 
merchant  with  his  business  ?  in  a  farmer  with  his  seed  or 
his  produce?  and  especially  in  a  gardener  with  his  wall- 
fruit  when  young,  or  his  tender  plants,  which  are  daily 
sending  forth  feelers,  that  require  to  be  supported  1  Ask 
any  one  of  these,  or  ask  all,  and  they  will  give  the  same 
reply.  And  is  the  health  of  the  body,  or  the  transitory 
business  of  this  life,  or  the  productions  of  the  natural 
world,  to  have  a  care  bestowed  upon  them,  which  you 
think  too  much  or  too  hard  with  regard  to  the  young  im- 
mortals, who  are  now,  by  an  indulgent  Providence,  com- 
mitted to  your  culture  and  your  care  ?  The  case  is 
confessedly  a  difficult  one  :  it  is  even  arduous  and  full  of 
responsibility;  nor  will  any  Parents  acquit  themselves  who 
do  not  feel  this.  In  many  things,  too,  we  offend,  and  in 
all  we  come  short;  but  still  there  is  a  way,  and  but  one 
right  path  after  all.  Were,  however,  uniformity  and  self- 
consistency  only  studied, — however  slender  the  outline, 
were  that  never  violated ;  had  you  certain  fixed  laws, 
which  could  not  be  broken  with  impunity, — though  you 
interposed,  and  should  interpose  your  authority  seldom, 
were  you,  at  such  times,  sure  to  be  obeyed  ;  then  all 
might  and  would  go  on  as  smoothly  as  the  different  dispo- 
sitions under  your  care  will  admit.  Yes;  I  have  said 
different  dispositions ;  for  when  uniformity  is  mentioned, 
the  same  particular  treatment  is  not  intended :  certainly 
not.  The  general  laws  may  be  compared  to  the  sun  and 
the  shower,  the  heat  and  the  cold  of  the  natural  world. 
Possessing  these,  the  nursery-man  proceeds  to  the  study 
20* 


234  THE  CAUSES  OF  FAILURE 

of  his  plants.  His  productions  are  not  one  and  the  same ; 
and  the  dispositions  and  tempers  of  the  Children  in  one 
family-nursery  generally,  discover  a  variety  as  striking. 

4.  Partiality. — The  observations  already  made,  might 
seem  to  have  anticipated  the  necessity  of  a  distinct  notice 
of  this  unnatural  cause  of  failure  on  the  part  of  Parents  ; 
and  certainly,  if  the  appropriate  treatment  of  each  Child, 
to  which  I  have  just  alluded,  is  conscientiously  studied, 
this  will  prove  an  effectual  bar  to  the  entrance  of  par- 
tiality. Of  such  importance,  however,  is  this  evil,  that 
it  must  not  be  thus  dismissed  ;  for  whether  the  family 
be  large  or  small,  the  painful  consequences  extend,  fre- 
quently, throughout  the  whole  existence  of  the  children, 
and  are  often  most  melancholy.  Indeed,  should  there 
happen  to  be  only  two  children,  how  do  these  brothers 
or  sisters  carry  it  towards  each  other,  sometimes  to  old 
age'?  In  such  a  sad  snare,  even  the  patriarch  Jacob  was 
caught,  and  what  was  the  result  ?  To  escape  the  ven- 
geance of  his  brother,  which  the  partiality  of  his  mother 
had  excited,  he  became  an  exile  from  his  Father's  roof 
and  his  native  land.  Soon,  too,  did  he  suffer  under  the 
effects  of  that  deceit  which  she  had  taught  him  ;  and 
which,  even  on  his  return  to  Canaan,  seemed  to  endanger 
the  lives  of  his  entire  family ;  nay,  that  deceit  ultimately 
appears  as  though  it  had  spread  its  baneful  influence 
among  his  own  children  !  Strange  !  that  in  a  little  com- 
munity, where  each  individual  Child  stands  in  precisely 
the  same  relation  to  its  head  ;  where  parental  duty  and 
affection  are  not  grounded  on  opinion,  but  all  have  an 
equal  claim  on  the  equal  regard  of  their  Parents — strange! 
that  such  a  feeling  as  that  of  partiality  should  ever  be  en- 
tertained and  cherished.  Oh!  let,  then,  Parents  be  on 
their  guard;  for  "of  all  the  infirmities  to  which  our  nature 
is  subject,"  says  a  modern  writer,  "none  is  more  unrea- 


TRACED  TO  THEIR  SOURCE.  335 

sonable,  unwise,  and  unjust,  than  that  of  making  a  differ- 
ence between  one  child  and  another.  It  discourages  the 
rest,  and  ruins  one — the  favorite.  It  sets  the  Father 
against  the  Mother,  and  the  other  Children  combine  to 
crush  the  fondling."  Melancholy,  in  the  extreme,  is  the 
prospect  of  that  Child  who  has  the  misfortune  to  be  such 
a  favorite ! 

Finally,  For  every  one  in  charge  of  a  Family,  it  is  in- 
deed a  most  serious  and  important  consideration,  that, 
whether  the  tendency  of  the  heart  be  to  undue  severity, 
to  over-indulgence,  to  a  baneful  inequality  of  treatment, 
or  to  this  sinful  partiality,  in  all  cases  of  failure,  the  evil 
will  be  found  at  least  to  originate  with  the  Parents ! 
"Meeting,  as  every  failure  must,  even  at  its  commencement, 
with  the  corruption  of  human  nature,  there  will  then  be 
faults  on  both  sides  ;  but  still  with  the  Parents  the  evil 
originated :  inasmuch  as  to  them  belong  the  privilege  and 
the  duty,  riot  so  much  of  redressing  evil  when  it  has 
come  to  a  head,  as  of  sowing  the  seeds  of  character,  of 
training  the  plant,  of  bending  the  twig  when  young  and 
tender,  of  crushing  evil  in  the  bud,  or  of  preventing  the 
growth  of  what  would  prove  noxious  to  the  inind.  Hence 
in  representing  to  us  the  rectification  of  such  a  moral 
disorder  in  a  family,  the  Scriptures  direct  us  to  commence 
with  them  : — "  He  shall  turn  the  heart  of  the  Fathers  to 
the  Children." 

Placed  in  a  situation  so  difficult  and  responsible,  where 
so  much  depends  upon  our  procedure,  refuge  we  have 
none,  except  in  the  wisdom  that  cometh  down  from  above, 
with  all  its  heavenly  attributes.  This  alone  can  preserve 
us  from  extremes,  and  give  us  consistency,  as  far  as  may 
be  in  our  present  imperfect  and  sinful  state.  But  then 
this  wisdom  must  not  only  be  requested,  but  there  is  only 
one  way  in  which  it  can  be  obtained.  It  is  a  communi- 


236  THE  CAUSES  OF  FAILURE,  &c. 

cation  from  above,  bestowed  on  those  only  whose  hearts 
are  in  truth  turned  unto  God ;  for  never  can  we  love  even 
our  offspring  as  we  ought,  till  we  love  God  as  we  should. 
Until  He  has  the  first,  they  cannot  occupy  the  proper  and 
appropriate  place  in  our  affection  and  our  care.  To  the 
following  Section,  therefore,  I  must  now  refer  the  reader, 


p-ct^ 
V" 

•JIIVER- 


SECTION  THIRD. 

THE   MEANS   OP   RECOVERY   AND  ESTABLISH- 
MENT. 

Deliberate  conversation  with  Parents  as  to  the  absolute  necessity  of 
personal  Religion. 

I  AM  not  insensible  that  this  subject  is  of  more  importance 
than  any  which  has  preceded  it,  and  that  if  I  fail  here, 
the  volume  I  should  account  of  very  inferior  value ;  but 
though  volumes  have  been  written  upon  it,  I  must  rest 
satisfied  with  only  one  section. 

Here,  however,  reader,  instead  of  any  formal  state- 
ments, I  would  prefer  to  hold  some  conversation  with  you, 
if  you  have  no  objection  to  give  me  your  ear,  and  some- 
thing more.  What  I  request  more  will  be  mentioned 
presently;  and  in  the  meanwhile,  allow  me  first  to  say, 
that,  a  Parent  myself,  and  acquainted  with  a  Parent's 
heart,  and  a  Parent's  cares,  and  a  Parent's  difficulties,  I 
feel  in,  you  therefore  all  the  interest  of  sympathy,  and  of 
anxiety  after  your  best  and  your  highest  interests.  If  you 
are  already  not  almost  only,  but  altogether,  a  Christian, 
you  will,  I  trust,  see  the  force  of  all  that  is  advanced  as 
we  proceed.  If  you  have  reason  to  suspect  that  you  are 
not,  or  if  you  suspect  that  there  is  a  deficiency  somewhere, 
then  suffer  me  to  request  your  unprejudiced  and  serious 
perusal  of  what  follows,  more  than  once. 


238  THE  MEANS  OF  RECOVERY 

Whatever  men  may  say,  genuine  Christianity  alone  can 
rectify  the  disorder  which  sin  has  introduced,  whether 
into  the  soul,  into  our  families,  or  the  world  at  large. 
Upon  this  supposition,  you  may  have  observed  that,  in 
Scripture,  some  one  striking  feature  of  genuine  Chris- 
tianity is,  occasionally,  put  for  the  whole  :  some  one  pow- 
erful effect  is  mentioned  as  an  evidence  of  the  existence 
of  Christianity  itself.  So  the  "turning  of  the  heart" 
towards  our  fellow-men,  and  especially  towards  our  off- 
spring and  the  people  of  God,  if  that  heart  directs  to 
suitable  measures,  is  an  evidence  of  the  heart  being  turned 
to  God  himself, — a  generous  effect,  and  peculiar  to  Chris- 
tianity. The  shipwrecked  mariner,  throwing  out  a  rope 
to  his  companions  who  are  still  buffeted  by  the  waves, 
gives  not  more  evidence  of  his  being  now  in  safety,  than 
that  man  gives  of  his  own  salvation,  who,  in  a  scriptural 
way  and  spirit,  seeks  for  the  salvation  of  others.  From 
the  manner,  however,  in  which  these  expressions  of 
Malachi  are  introduced  in  the  New  Testament,  all  doubt, 
as  to  their  precise  meaning,  is  taken  away,  and  that  by 
the  angel  of  God,  when  addressing  Zacharias,  the  Father 
of  John.  After  intimating  to  the  Parent  that  his  Child 
should  be  filled  with  the  Holy  Spirit,  as  a  proof  of  this  he 
adds, — "  And  many  of  the  Children  of  Israel  shall  he  turn 
to  the  Lord  their  God ;  and  he  shall  go  before  Him  to 
turn  the  hearts  of  the  Fathers  to  their  Children,  and  the 
disobedient  to  the  wisdom  of  the  just :  to  make  ready  a 
people  prepared "  or  disposed  "for  the  Lord."  From 
this  language  you  will  evidently  perceive,  that  the  Fathers 
or  Children  referred  to  are  such  as  had  also  turned  to  the 
Lord  their  God,  and  that,  as  a  people,  they  were  prepared 
or  disposed  for  the  Lord. 

Scripture,  indeed,  my  friend,  at  any  time,  never  deals 
in  half  measures.  It  begins  at  the  beginning,  and  that 
with  the  heart ;  dealing  with  it  through  the  conscience  : 


AND  ESTABLISHMENT.  239 

insists  upon  it  that  the  heart  is  diseased,  and  that  to  such 
extent,  that  an  entire  change  there  must  be  effected. 
Men  may  and  do  hesitate,  and  cavil,  and  so  may  you;  but 
in  these  hesitations  Scripture  discovers  no  such  sympathy 
as  to  recede  in  one  page  from  what  it  demands  in  another. 
To  come  up,  therefore,  to  the  proper  meaning  of  this  lan- 
guage, uttered  by  an  angel  commissioned  from  above, 
nothing  short  of  repentance  towards  God,  and  of  faith 
towards  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  will  answer  instead.  No, 
reader,  rely  upon  it,  that  nothing  short  of  your  returning 
back  from  sin  and  Satan,  from  the  world  and  self,  to  God, 
your  original  happiness  ;  as  to  your  Sovereign  Lord  to  be 
obeyed,  and  your  best  portion  to  be  enjoyed,  depending 
for  reception  and  acceptance  on  the  sacrifice  and  inter- 
cession of  Christ  alone ;  nothing  short  of  this  can  you, 
with  safety,  rest  in,  when  you  hear  of  repentance  towards 
God,  and  of  faith  towards  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

A  subject  of  the  Divine  Government,  and  one  day  to 
render  an  account  of  all  the  deeds  which  you  have  done 
in  the  body,  yet,  at  this  moment,  under  an  invincible  obli- 
gation to  attend  to  this  subject,  I  trust  you  will  not  object 
to  my  referring  you  for  information  and  conviction,  to  the 
law  of  God  itself. 

Whatever  men  may  think  and  say,  when  living  in  sin, 
or  paying  to  this  law  only  the  homage  of  a  passing  regard ; 
and  however  even  some  divines  may  confound  this  law 
with  the  thunders  of  Sinai,  the  majestic  circumstances 
which  once  attended  its  more  complete  display,  and  for- 
mal delivery,  it  is  worthy  of  your  deliberate  consideration, 
that  nothing  has  been  left  undone  to  put  honor  upon  it. 
When  the  God  of  glory  dwelt  in  the  Jewish  temple,  in 
the  pillar  of  the  cloud  over  the  mercy-seat,  this  law,  by 
his  special  command,  was  deposited  in  the  ark,  the  holiest 
place  in  the  holiest  of  all,  as  its  dearest  and  choicest 
treasure.  Thus  was  it  done  to  the  law  which  God  de- 


240  THE  MEANS  OF  RECOVERY 

lighted  to  honor.  But  this,  the  greatest  honor  which 
could  then  be  conferred,  was  but  an  emblem  of  all  that 
followed  another  day.  When  God,  our  Saviour,  de- 
scended and  dwelt  below,  with  a  primary  view  to  the 
divine  glory,  he  placed  that  glory  in  the  extent  and  purity 
of  this  law,  as  already  illustrative  of  the  interests  and 
character  of  the  Divine  Government.  Whatever  darkness 
there  had  been,  as  to  the  manner  of  meeting  its  demands, 
so  as  to  secure  our  salvation,  in  it  he  saw  no  darkness  at 
all.  No  ;  on  the  contrary,  He  came  to  explain  it  in  all  its 
spirituality,  nay,  to  obey  it ;  thus  to  magnify  and  thus  to 
make  it  honorable.  It  was  during  this  obedience  that  the 
Father  said  repeatedly,  "  This  is  my  beloved  Son,  in 
whom  I  am  well  pleased  : "  it  was  during  this  obedience 
that  the  angels  waited  upon  him,  and  admired,  and  wor- 
shipped. In  the  very  prospect  of  this  obedience,  ages 
before,  the  Messiah  himself  had  said,  "  I  delight  to  do  thy 
will,  yea,  thy  law  is  within  my  heart ; "  and  now,  towards 
the  close,  you  hear  him  again, — "  I  have  glorified  thee  on 
the  earth,  I  have  finished  the  work  which  thou  gavest  me 
to  do"  Yes,  under  the  weight  and  burden  of  his  great 
undertaking,  you  will  see  that  cordial  love  to  the  com- 
mandment, that  zeal  for  the  divine  perfections  and  gov- 
ernment, invariably  took  precedence  of  his  boundless  com- 
passion for  the  souls  of  men ;  and  be  assured,  my  fellow- 
immortal,  that  that  which  was  first  in  the  divine  mind, 
must,  of  necessity,  have  a  corresponding  place  in  yours. 

And,  oh  !  if  it  has  such  a  place,  then  will  this  law  ex- 
plain to  your  heart's  wish  the  necessity  of  a  Saviour,  and 
of  such  a  Saviour.  From  Bethlehem  Judah  even  to  the 
place  of  skulls  will  you  see  him  employed,  in  one  unbroken 
design,  of  explaining  and  fulfilling  this  law  ;  thus  magni- 
fying, and  thus  making  it  honorable.  Yet  after  all,  you 
will  then  add, — Great  as  this  was,  it  was  not  more  than 
the  law  deserved  ;  nay,  born  under  it,  not  more  than  the 
law  demanded. 


AND   ESTABLISHMENT.  241 

Now,  certainly,  of,  at  least,  past  indifference  to  this 
sacred  law,  you  must  be  conscious,  if  not  of  present 
aversion  ?  And  is  not  either  of  these  evidence  sufficient 
of  a  disease  of  the  heart  ?  How  are  you  able,  after  all 
this,  or  how  is  any  man  able,  to  dispose  of  all  ideas,  in- 
dulged too,  of  its  strictness,  or  what  you  once  vainly 
considered  its  undue  severity  ?  Are  they  not  shamed 
away  before  the  conviction  of  its  unbending  nature — its 
impartial  rectitude  ?  Has  He  one  law  for  the  rich  and 
another  for  the  poor  ?  one  for  the  old  and  another  for  the 
young  ?  one  for  the  illiterate  and  another  for  the  learned  ? 
Nay,  may  I  not  add,  with  reverence,  after  this  unspotted 
obedience  and  vicarious  death,  has  He  one  law  for  us  and 
another  for  Himself?  Has  he  not  now  convinced  you, 
that  this  unalterable  standard  is  as  it  is,  not  because  he 
has  been  pleased  only  so  to  reveal  it,  but  that  it  is;  as  it  is, 
because  of  his  character — because  he  is  such  a  God — 
because  "  the  righteous  God  loveth  righteousness,  and  his 
law  is  the  truth  ?  " 

Without,  therefore,  any  reference  to  a  single  act  of 
spiritual  obedience,  which  at  present  is  out  of  the  question, 
though  the  law  admits  of  no  other,  converse,  oh  !  converse, 
as  for  yourself,  with  this  blessed,  and  perfect,  and  unal- 
terable standard  of  all  human  conduct.  Soon  will  you 
find,  to  your  unconquerable  assurance,  that,  so  far  from 
being  free  from  blame,  this  law  has  been  a  domestic  of 
yours,  and  an  old  acquaintance  who  has  grown  up  with 
you  from  infancy,  to  whom,  of  all  others,  you  have  done 
the  most  violence,  and  used  so  ill.  Nor  is  there  any 
nation,  or  any  man,  where  it  is  otherwise.  The  very 
heathen  show  the  work  and  design  of  this  law  written  on 
their  hearts  :  its  very  fragments,  scattered  everywhere,  are 
known  by  their  natural  notices,  and  these,  exerting  their 
influence  by  a  sense  of  right  and  wrong,  appear  in  their 
daily  deportment.  Placed  in  such  circumstances,  if  you 
21 


242  THE  MEANS  OF  RECOVERY 

look  around  you,  one  will  address  himself  to  your  under- 
standing, endeavoring  to  explain  to  you  the  nature  of 
faith ;  dwelling,  it  may  be,  upon  its  simplicity ;  while 
another  would  address  himself  to  your  sense  of  gratitude, 
and  represent,  most  unguardedly,  one  perfection  of  the 
Great  God  as,  in  itself,  "  most  estimable,"  and  therefore 
to  be  first  received.  The  apostles  commended  themselves 
first  to  "every  man's  conscience,"  both  parties  being 
understood  to  be  standing  in  the  presence  of  God;  and 
could  we  follow  this  method,  I  presume,  more  success 
would  follow. 

I,  like  yourself,  reader,  have  been  raised  out  of  the  dust 
but  the  other  day.  Into  the  divine  presence,  therefore, 
let  me  now  invite  you,  and  there  let  this  great  matter  be 
explained,  and,  it  may  be,  settled  between  us.  Standing 
here,  I  have  nothing  to  address  to  your  fancy,  or  your 
sense  of  honor  ;  nothing  to  your  speculative  understanding, 
or  your  disposition  for  religious  controversy ;  nor,  at  this 
moment,  any  thing  to  your  sense  of  gratitude. 

You  may  recollect,  that  I  said  I  should  request  your 
ear,  and  something  more  ;  it  was  conscience  to  which  I 
then  alluded.  Yes  ;  since  I  refer  not  to  what  is  doubtful, 
but  what  is  certain,  I  appeal  directly  to  conscience.  Se- 
crets, in  your  own  mind,  there  ought  to  be  none  assuredly 
concealed  from  yourself \  and  of  me  or  of  my  searching  you 
need  not  be  afraid  :  at  least  I  cannot  ascertain  so  much 
as  you  might. 

Have  you  never,  then,  in  ^ast  life,  had  any  misgivings 
of  mind  ?  And  were  not  each  of  these  the  voice  of  con- 
science 1  Has  your  mind  ever  known  depression,  or  fore- 
boding of  something  painful,  you  knew  not  what  ?  And 
what  was  this,  if  not  the  voice  of  conscience  ?  Have  you 
ever  felt  weary  of  life,  and  begun  again  ?  And  what,  to 
you,  could  this  be,  but  the  movement  of  conscience  ?  Nay, 
have  you  never  condemned  yourself  in  the  thing  which 


AND   ESTABLISHMENT.  243 

you  allowed  ?  And  if  so,  how  could  this  have  been,  if  not 
through  conscience  ?  I  appeal  not  at  this  moment  to 
your  heart :  no ;  here  let  me  remain  in  the  passage  to  it, 
and  entreat  you  to  consider  how  much  you  have  to  answer 
to  Him,  in  whose  presence  we  now  stand,  for  your  resist- 
ance of  all  these  misgivings,  or  this  depression, — for  your 
forgetfulness  of  all  these  forebodings  and  this  self-condem- 
nation. Fearfully  and  wonderfully  made  you  are,  but  not 
less  fearfully  and  critically  situated.  Surely  you  will  not 
now  shut  the  book,  and  leave  me  here  alone  1  Bear  with 
me  but  a  little  longer,  and  consider  what  I  am  now  so 
anxious  to  add.  Have  you  no  concern  in  comprehending 
the  nature  and  the  extent  of  divine  authority  1  Do  you 
not  consider  that  He  in  whom  your  breath  is,  and  by 
whose  power  you  now  peruse  these  lines,  has  also  unlim- 
ited dominion  over  you  1  and  that  you  belong  more  to  him 
than  to  yourself?  And  whither,  I  ask,  can  you  go  from 
his  presence,  and  where  will  you  flee  when  He  appeareth? 
Do  you  wish  to  evade  his  eye?  It  is  in  vain.  Do  you 
wish  to  shrink  back  into  oblivion  ?  It  cannot  be.  Go 
forward  you  must,  and  live  too  for  ever.  Registered  as  a 
subject  of  the  divine  government,  you  are  duly  observed ; 
and  your  actions,  and  pursuits,  and  expressions,  as  duly 
recorded. 

Surely,  then,  I  may  go  farther,  and  ask  Conscience 
herself,  with  her  impartial  finger,  to  point  out  the  par- 
ticular path  which  you  have  trodden  so  long.  Has  the 
Almighty  no  concern  in  that  path?  And  though  the 
Vulture's  eye  hath  not  seen  it,  doth  He  not  know,  hath 
He  not  pondered  it  all  ?  Do  you  inquire  my  meaning  ? 
I  refer  to  the  sin  or  the  sins  to  which  you  have  been  most 
addicted.  The  way — your  way  has  a  character  all  its 
own.  It  distinguishes  you,  and  will  distinguish,  from  your 
nearest  relative,  from  your  most  intimate  companion. 

Do  you  evade  all  this,  or  say,  as  some  do  when  pressed, 


244  THE  MEANS  OF  RECOVERY 

that  you  have  sinned  in  every  way  ?  This  I  do  not  dis- 
pute :  but  your  conscience  even  now  tells  you  that  you 
have  not  so  sinned  equally.  No,  not  in  every  way  equally. 
This  you  cannot  have  done,  for  no  man  ever  did.  You 
have  had  a  preference — you  have  had  a  choice,  a  decided 
choice,  even  in  sinning.  What  is  it  then  to  which  you 
have  been  addicted  ?  What  is  it  which  you  have  pursued  ? 
One  sin  there  is,  above  all  others,  most  frequent  in  your 
case.  This  generally,  if  not  invariably,  has  one  asso- 
ciated with  it,  which  operates  either  as  a  shield  to  protect, 
or  a  covering  to  conceal  the  other  from  observation,  or 
even  from  yourself.  There  is  indeed,  in  some  characters, 
what  may  be  called  a  black  and  sinful  threefold  cord, 
but  I  believe  most  frequently  we  are  drawn  along  by  the 
reciprocal  power  of  two  master-crimes, — in  thought, — in 
word, — or  in  action.  Here  then,  my  friend,  is  the  way  of 
your  heart,  and  here  the  chosen  sins  which  have  fur- 
nished at  once  to  the  superlative  deceitfulness,  and  un- 
heeding wickedness  of  your  heart,  an  appropriate  channel. 
"  See  then  thy  way  in  this  valley,  and  know  what  thou 
hast  done."  It  was  Jeremiah's  grief,  in  times  of  old,  that 
his  countrymen  would  not  look  here.  "  There  is  none," 
said  he,  "  that  repenteth  him  of  his  way,  saying,  What 
have  I  done  ?  " 

And  what,  then,  in  your  case,  reader,  are  those  leading 
crimes?  "But  why,"  you  ask,  "be  so  very  solicitous  and 
so  pressing  as  to  these  1  Will  it  not  do  to  reply  simply, 
that  I  am  a  sinner  ?  "  Did  you  say  this  with  an  under- 
standing conviction  of  that  in  which  the  sinfulness  of  sin 
consists,  and  an  eye  fixed  on  the  way  in  which  you  have 
walked,  then  this  confession  might  suffice  for  yourself: 
but  to  my  ear,  my  dear  friend,  it  conveys  nothing  more 
than  what  thousands  around  us  say,  who  evidently  live  in 
sin,  and  at  last  die  in  it !  No  man  is  a  member  of  the 
church  of  the  living  God  who  cannot  go  along  with  her 


AND  ESTABLISHMENT.  245 

in  her  confessions  :  so  that,  if  you  and  I  would  be  thus 
united,  then  must  we  be  able  not  only  to  say,  "  All  we 
like  sheep  have  gone  astray,"  but  to  add,  with  the  church 
herself,  "  we  have  turned  every  one  to  his  own  way." 

If  then,  as  your  most  sincere  friend,  I  can  be  of  any 
service,  why  should  I  not  press  for  a  reply  more  definite, 
and  apply  to  conscience  ?     Conscience  uninfluenced  and 
suffered  to  speak  out,  will  speak  at  once.     And  ah !  what 
if  this  very  reluctance  is  the  resistance  of  conscience  1 
Or  if  there  is  difficulty  in  comprehending  my  meaning^ 
What  if,  through  the  blinding  influence  of  sin,  still  cher- 
ished  in   secret,  this   should  prove   an  evidence  of  your 
being,  after  all,  indisposed  to  forsake  your  way.     See  now, 
reader,  the  imperious  necessity  of  coming  to  particulars. 
For  why  should  Scripture  specify  sin  at  all  ?     Why  specify 
particular  characters?     Why  should  the  law  be  divided 
into  ten  commandments?     And  why  should  such  infinite 
variety  have  been  adopted  by  Infinite  Wisdom  in  address- 
ing the  rebellious  throughout  the  empire  of  God?     Why, 
if  not  to  convince  of  particular  sins?     How  can  any  indi- 
vidual be  convinced  that  he  is  a  sinner,  without  being 
convinced  of  sin?     And  how  convinced  of  sin,  if  not  of 
someone  in  particular?     "I  had  not  known  sin,"  said 
one   of  the    most   interesting    men    who   ever   professed 
Christianity,  "I  had  not  known  sin,  but  by  the  law:  for 
I  had  not  known  lust"  or  evil  desire  to  be  sin^  "except 
the  law    had  said,    Thou   shalt   not   covet."     Thus  the 
apostle   found  the  key   to  his  own  character :    but  how 
can  any  man  find  this,  and  yet  remain  either  ignorant  or 
unimpressed,  most  painfully,  with  that  one  sin,  or  these 
sins  by  which  he  most  frequently  violated'the  divine  law,, 
and  most  frequently  incensed  the  Almighty,  and  so  often 
and  so  long  presumed  upon  the  riches  of  his  goodness, 
and  forbearance,  and  long-suffering  ? 

Only  confess  then,  reader,  these  the  leading  proofs  of 
21* 


246  THE  MEANS  OF  RECOVERY 

your  guilt,  and  suffer  me  to  proceed :  for  an  immediate 
use  is  to  be  made  of  these,  and  the  knowledge,  the  con- 
viction of  these  will  be  of  essential  service  to  your  latest 
day.  And  how,  you  say,  is  this  ?  of  what  use  are  they 
now?  With  these  alone  can  I  proceed  as  the  leading 
evidence  of  your  personal  guilt,  and  the  necessity  of  con- 
fession, and  the  ground  of  God's  especial  call  to  you  in 
particular.  These  sins  you  may  slight,  but  they  are  the 
proof  of  the  state  in  which  you  now  stand  before  God. 
Though  by  no  means  containing  a  full  view  of  your  case, 
these  are  the  dangerous  prognostics  of  your  disease,  and 
these  may  not  only  sink  you  to  the  grave,  but  lower  still. 
To  you  also,  even  now,  these  sins  especially  stand  in  the 
same  relation  which  the  warrant  for  apprehension  does  to 
the  man,  who  has  been  not  only  a  frequent  offender,  but 
the  very  person  charged  with  the  crimes  contained  in  that 
warrant.  Nay,  more,  these  sins,  so  often  repeated,  are  to 
you  the  strongest  proofs  that  you  are  already  condemned. 
Perhaps  you  know  the  change  which  takes  place  in  the 
condition  of  a  prisoner  committed  for  trial,  if  that  man 
should  be  left  for  execution?  Now,  whatever  you  may 
suppose  as  to  yourself,  and  whatever  is  to  become  of  you 
hereafter,  on  you,  my  frhend,  that  change,  in  the  divine 
government,  has  already  passed.  "  He  that  believeth 
not,"  said  the  Saviour,  "  is  condemned  already  " — he  was 
condemned  before — before  Christ  came,  and  so  are  you, 
though  he  has  come  !  With  the  book  of  God  in  your  hand, 
look  steadily  at  these  sins,  whether  of  thought,  of  word,  or 
of  action,  and  you  will  find,  alas!  but  one  solitary  point 
of  difference  between  your  own  state,  and  that  of  those 
who  are  now  in  endless  wo !  On  them  the  sentence  has 
been  executed — on  you,  only  not  as  yet!  Surely  then 
"  it  is  meet  to  be  said  unto  God,  I  have  offended,  and 
wherein  I  have  done  wickedly  I  will  do  so  no  more :  for 
he  looketh  upon  men,  and  if  any  shall  say,  I  have  sinned, 


AND  ESTABLISHMENT.  247 

and  have  perverted  that  which  was  right,  and  it  profited 
me  not ;  He  will  deliver  his  soul  from  going  down  to  the 
pit,  and  his  life  shall  see  the  light."  Apply  even  yourself 
to  conscience,  and  hear  what  the  Scriptures  have  said  so 
long.  "  God  now  commandeth  all  men  every  where  to 
repent,  because  he  hath  appointed  a  day  in  which  he  will 
judge  the  world  in  righteousness,  by  that  man  whom  he 
hath  ordained,"  and  to  you,  my  friend,  he  hath  given 
abundant  assurance  of  this,  by  raising  him  from  the 
dead. 

Yes,  if  it  behoved  Christ  to  suffer,  and  to  rise  from  the 
dead  the  third  day,  it  was  that  "  repentance  and  remission 
of  sins  should  be  proclaimed  in  his  name  among  all  na- 
tions." Yes,  in  his  name,  by  his  authority,  and  with  his 
approbation,  you  are  at  this  moment  addressed.  Repent- 
ance, however  unwelcome  to  you  naturally,  which  the  law 
of  innocence  knew  nothing  of,  and  for  which  the  law  of 
God  makes  no  provision,  constitutes  one-half  of  the  Sa- 
viour's mandate  or  commission,  or  last  and  parting  charge. 
One-half,  too,  and  that  the  first-mentioned,  of  the  doctrine 
which  Paul,  his  servant,  preached,  not  only  in  public,  but, 
observe,  from  house  to  house. 

It  is  however  observable,  that,  though  the  law  speaks 
not  of  repentance,  it  is  the  appointed  instrument  for  pro- 
ducing that  persuasion  and  conviction  which  lead  to  re- 
pentance :  and  as  an  instrument  for  this  end,  the  law  is 
invaluable.  Once  read  with  enlightened  eyes,  its  dooms- 
day sentence  cannot  be  erased  from  the  heart  by  any 
means,  save  one.  And  for  what  end  is  the  weight  and 
pressure  of  such  conviction  but  this,  that  since  as  much 
justice  or  equity  as  there  is  in  the  law  which  condemns, 
so  much  of  divine  favor  is  there  in  the  glorious  remedy  by 
which  I  am  relieved  ?  For  you,  therefore,  rny  friend,  to 
see  the  grace  or  favor  in  the  one  case,  you  must  see  the 
justice  in  the  other. 


248  THE  MEANS  OF  RECOVERY 

Besides,  repentance  has  an  immediate  reference  to  your 
specific  character, — to  your  way, — to  your  thoughts  :  and 
as  no  radical  change  can  take  place  without  a  distinct 
reference  to  the  evil  and  enmity  of  the  heart  as  thus  dis- 
played, so  the  truth  of  the  divine  law  is  invaluable  as  an 
instrument  of  conviction.  For  this  end,  among  many 
others,  it  is  holy  in  its  own  nature,  just  in  its  operation, 
and  good  in  its  effects. 

The  adaptation  of  this  law  for  conviction  is  equally  to 
be  admired  with  the  adaptation  of  the  atonement  to  re- 
lieve. Nay,  it  is  the  burden  of  guilt,  thus  ascertained  by 
such  conviction,  from  which  the  atonement  in  every  case 
delivers.  Oh  yes,  the  spirit  of  bondage,  however  it  is 
deprecated  by  some  and  denounced  by  others,  is,  after  all, 
my  friend,  a  "  received "  spirit,  as  well  as  the  spirit  of 
adoption.  There  is  great  moral  beauty  in  the  perfect 
harmony  of  these  two  means.  "The  righteousness  of 
God,"  his  one  method  of  justifying  you  or  any,  "  without 
the  law  is  manifested  ;  but  the  law  itself  and  the  prophets 
bear  witness  to  it:"  and  while  this  obedience  and  sacri- 
fice of  Jesus  relieves,  according  to  law,  from  the  burden 
and  curse  of  a  neglected,  and  abused,  and  despised  au- 
thority, instead  of  blunting  the  edge  of  any  man's  keen 
persuasion  of  his  own  personal  guilt,  the  cross  exhibits  at 
once  a  Saviour  to  preserve  from  despair,  and  that  view  of 
sin  which  in  the  divine  mind  had  been  hitherto  revealed 
in  threatening^  to  be  fulfilled,  or  shadowed  forth  in  types 
and  sacrifices  which  had  not  perfected  as  relating  to  the 
conscience.  Yes,  in  Him  who  bled,  and  groaned,  and 
died,,  however  mysteriously,  yet  truly 

There  Vengeance  and  Compassion  join 
In  their  divinest  forms. 

Rut  that  vengeance  which  was  there  unfolded  belongs  still 
unto  God :  and  you  would  do  well  to  consider  it,  as  it  is, 


AND  ESTABLISHMENT.  24<> 

the  prerogative  of  Him  who  thus  bowed  his  head  on 
Calvary.  He  is  coming — and  coming,  too,  as  the  Judge 
both  of  quick  and  dead,  to  take  vengeance  on  them  who, 
after  all  this,  know  not  God,  and  obey  not  his  gospel. 
You  will  be  judged  at  last  by  Him  who  has  been  some- 
times profanely  called  "  the  Carpenter's  Son,"  though  in 
this  there  was  no  disgrace  :  and  rely  upon  it  in  time,  He 
is  too  strong  for  you.  Hence  it  is,  that  faith  towards  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  is  thus  urged  upon  you  and  me  in  the 
Sacred  Scripture. 

Yes,  in  immediate  connection  with  repentance  towards 
God — the  evidence  of  acquiescence  in  his  character  and 
claims,  must  ever  be  enforced, — faith  towards  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ — our  acceptance  of  his  obedience  and  death, 
and  our  exclusive  trust  in  these  for  acceptance  with  God. 

Once  separate  these,  and  the  glory  of  his  incarnation 
and  death  cannot  be  seen.  Even  then,  indeed,  you  may 
hear  some  speak  of  them  as  glorious,  but  it  is  not  because 
of  his  having  then  met  all  the  demands  of  God's  most 
righteous  law,  but  merely  because  the  atonement  is  suita- 
ble to  our  condition,  and  as  containing  good  news,  which, 
they  tell  us,  must  first  be  enforced,  in  order  to  conciliate 
the  heart  of  man  to  God.  But  is  this  indeed  an  interpre- 
ter, one  among  a  thousand  ?  or  does  he  show  unto  man 
God's  uprightness,  that  God  may  be  gracious  unto  him  ? 
Certainly  not.  The  basis  of  reception  into  the  divine 
favor  must  surely  be  explained,  ay,  and  received,  other- 
wise the  conciliation,  so  called,  will  be  feigned  and 
hollow.  Can  the  heart  be  healed  before  it  is  broken  ? — 
Can  conciliation  possibly  take  place,  before  the  loftiness 
of  man  is  brought  low  ?  No,  no,  gratitude  is  neither  the 
beginning  nor  the  end  of  genuine  Christianity,  nor  can 
the  gift  be  received  until  the  character  and  claims  of  the 
giver  be  admitted.  Indeed,  until  the  heart  is  touched  with 
the  evil  of  the  sins  to  which  the  party  has  been  most 


250  THE  MEANS  OF  RECOVERY 

addicted,  the  core  of  the  disease  must  ever  remain. 
Though  help  and  cure  are  just  at  hand,  it  is  pitiful  and 
distressing,  in  the  extreme,  to  see  the  wound  healed 
slightly  ;  nor,  alas !  will  that  heart,  can  that  heart,  turn 
unto  God. 

Nay,  what  is  still  more  affecting,  if  it  is  possible  for  a 
man  thus  addressed,  to  abuse  and  insult  one  perfection  of 
the  Divine  Name  more  than  another,  that  perfection  will 
be  his  mercy  and  his  good-will,  poured  forth,  to  us  in  the 
gift  and  sufferings  of  his  own  Son.  Lean  upon  the  cross, 
indeed,  professedly  he  may,  to  save  him  from  falling  into 
endless  misery  ;  but  one  lust,  his  ruling  passion,  by  that 
cross  will  he  not  crucify.  A  transient  glow  of  animal 
feeling,  mistaken  for  genuine  gratitude,  you  may  excite, 
without  having  referred  either  to  the  character  or  the 
claims  of  God,  as  God.  But  what  then?  The  Israelites 
of  old,  as  a  body,  on  the  banks  of  the  Red  Sea  especially, 
were  so  affected,  but  two  years  had  not  elapsed  before 
they  were  for  turning  back  to  Egypt  again.  The  ex- 
pressions of  such  spurious  gratitude  may  well  be  pre- 
served. The  very  song  which  these  Israelites  sung,  being 
put  on  record,  became  a  witness  for  God  against  them ; 
and  so,  my  friend,  it  must  always  be,  where  benefits  are 
received  professedly  from  God,  without  previous  recog- 
nition of  his  character,  and  his  claims  upon  us. 

Nor  will  any  analogy,  borrowed  from  human  benev- 
olence and  outward  reformation,  evej  reach  this  case,  or 
profitably  explain  it.  Howard  might  perambulate  the 
globe,  and  ameliorate;  kindness  and  courtesy  may,  and 
will,  if  any  thing  will,  soften  the  ferocity  of  felons  in  a  jail ; 
but  the  impenetrable  hardness  of  the  heart  towards  God 
is  not  to  be,  alas !  cannot  be,  so  softened.  Of  all  the  gifts 
his  hand  has  bestowed,  there  is  not  one  which  has  been 
so  neglected,  so  despised,  so  presumed  upon,  as  his  favor 
and  mercy  through  Christ  Jesus.  Witness  the  present  state 


AND  ESTABLISHMENT.  251 

of  Great  Britain.  When,  therefore,  I  approach  towards 
this  heart  with  a  wish  to  save  it,  and  turn  it  effectually  to 
God,  I  must  not  forget  the  conscience,  and  that  there  is 
an  order  in  divine  truth,  as  there  is  a  time  for  every  thing 
under  the  sun.  Let  me  state  truth  as  I  may,  if  heedless 
or  indifferent  about  this  order,  all  my  toil  is  vain.  "  Let 
favor  be  shown  to  the  wicked,  yet  will  he  not  learn 
righteousness :  in  the  land  of  uprightness  will  he  deal 
unjustly,  and  he  will  not  behold  the  majesty  of  Jehovah." 

Nor  is  there  any  difficulty  in  accounting  for  all  this. 
The  truth  is,  that  that  to  which  the  heart  of  man  is  so 
averse,  is  not  any  one  perfection  of  the  divine  name  to 
the  exclusion  of  others ;  but  since,  in  Scripture,  all  his 
perfections  in  union  are  held  up  as  constituting  the  divine 
name  or  character,  it  is  this  character  to  which  we  feel, 
naturally,  such  disinclination.  The  stupendous  obedience 
and  death  of  our  blessed  Lord  are  suited  indeed  to  us  as 
fallen  ;  and  they  are  suited  to  our  guilty  and  forlorn  cir- 
cumstances, but  in  no  sense  whatever  either  to  our  evil  or 
selfish  propensities.  Until  therefore  the  heart  is  affected 
by  some  persuasion  of  the  equity  of'the  divine  government, 
a  cordial  and  saving  reception  of  the  atonement,  for  the 
injuries  done  to  that  government,  is,  in  the  nature  of 
things,  impossible.  In  one  word,  the  atonement  was 
offered  and  accepted  upon  certain  principles ;  and  hence 
the  necessity  for  the  faithful  interpreter  of  the  divine 
record,  commending  himself  to  every  man's  conscience  as 
in  the  sight  of  God. 

To  you,  therefore,  my  reader,  permit  me  to  say,  while 
your  own  character  must  by  you  be  recognized,  recognized 
in  the  way  of  conviction,  and  confession,  and  repentance 
towards  God,  yet  whatever  that  character  be,  and  to 
whatever  extent  you  have  gone,  relief  and  mercy  there  is 
here  for  you,  broad  as  all  your  guilt,  and  far  exceeding 
your  warmest  wish.  You  may,  nay,  you  have,  by  sin, 


252  THE  MEANS  OF  RECOVERY 

destroyed  yourself;  you  have  done  violence  to  every  power 
which  God  himself  has  created  within  you  :  but  once 
acknowledge,  only  confess  thine  iniquity,  and  in  the  suf- 
ficiency of  this  atonement  you  may  safely  bury  every  fear ; 
on  this  present  and  prevalent  intercession  you  may  daily 
depend.  "  For  I  came  down  from  heaven,"  said  Jesus, 
"  not  to  do  mine  own  will,  but  the  will  of  Him  that  sent 
me ;  and  this  is  the  will  of  Him  that  sent  me,  that  every 
one  that  seeth  the  Son,  and  believeth  on  him,  may  have 
everlasting  life,  and  I  will  raise  him  up  at  the  last  day." 

See  that  Jew,  in  ancient  time,  laden  with  guilt,  with 
the  prime  of  his  flock  approaching  the  gate  of  the  temple, 
and  inquiring  for  the  priest — see  them  meet,  and  the  one 
party,  laying  his  hands  on  the  head  of  the  innocent  vic- 
tim; hear  him  now  confess  his  crime,  while  the  priest  in 
waiting,  bends  his  ear  to  hear — see  the  offerer  receive  the 
knife,  and,  like  another  Abraham,  end  the  days  of  the 
finest  animal  in  his  possession — see  it  cut  in  pieces  by  the 
priest,  salted  with  salt,  and  laid  on  the  altar  to  consume — 
see  a  portion  of  the  blood  now  carried  into  the  holy  place, 
and  on  the  great  day  of  atonement,  into  the  holiest  of  all. 
— The  priest  has  disappeared  ;  but  it  is  on  this  man's 
behalf,  while  he  is  left  to  wait  and  view  his  sacrifice  con- 
suming.— The  offerer,  however,  can  tell  you  how  the 
priest  is  engaged.  "Now,"  he  replies,  "he  is  sprinkling 
the  blood  ;  now  he  is  repeating  my  confession  ;  and  now 
he  prays  for  rny  forgiveness."  An  answer  is  obtained, 
and  again  the  priest  appears.  He  approaches  towards  the 
confessor — his  sacrifice  is  consumed — the  blood  has  been 
sprinkled  before  the  mercy-seat— his  sins  had  been  con- 
fessed, while  he  leaned  on  the  victim  ;  and  they  have 
been  repeated,  with  blood  and  incense,  before  the  Lord. 
See  the  priest  raise  his  hands,  and  hear  him  pronounce 
on  this  man  the  divine  blessing ! 

Now,  if  all  this  is  but  a  correct  shadow  of  the  blessings 


AND  ESTABLISHMENT.  253 

to  which  you  are  now  invited,  then  assuredly  conviction 
of  sin,  and  a  sense  of  guilt,  brought  this  man  every  step 
on  his  way  to  Jerusalem  ;  and  these  occasioned  his  ap- 
proach to  the  gate  of  God ;  and  there  he  came  for 
assurance  of  pardon,  and  to  have  his  forgiveness  sealed 
and  sanctioned  by  the  divine  blessing.  No  such  length 
have  you  to  go  ;  yet  the  same  conviction  of  sin  will  ever 
precede  the  reception  of  that  atonement,  of  which  this 
sacrifice  was  but  a  shadow. 

Or  if,  from  these  shadows  of  good  things  then  to  come, 
you  would  rather  turn  to  the  substance  of  them  all  under 
the  New  Testament,  then  will  you  see  how  and  why  it 
was,  that,  upon  setting  up  his  kingdom  in  the  earth,  our 
blessed  Lord,  laying  hold  of  God's  most  righteous  law, 
began  by  giving  an  interpretation  of  it,  which,  in  point  of 
spirituality,  left  all  former  expositions  so^far  behind.  Often 
have  you  heard  Mount  Sinai  referred  to,  with  much  of 
terror  ;  and  no  wonder ;  for  so  terrible  was  the  sight  and 
the  sound,  that  even  Moses  said,  "  I  exceedingly  fear  and 
quake."  Yet,  methinks,  the  mountain  in  Galilee,  where 
Jesus  sat,  was  the  more  serious  mountain  of  the  two. 
Still,  "  as  lancing,  and  other  severities  of  the  surgeon's 
hand,  far  from  being  like  the  wounds  of  an  enemy,  are  as 
useful  and  necessary  a  part  of  his  business  as  his  applica- 
tion of  healing  medicines  ;"  so  the  Saviour  began,  on  that 
mountain,  to  show,  by  his  spiritual  and  rigorous  deter- 
mination of  the  penalty  to  the  heart,  that  He,  with  his 
mighty  grace,  had  come  indeed  to  heal  diseases  of  the 
mind.  By  such  spiritual  interpretation  did  He  propose 
that  every  man  should  both  find  out  and  feel  the  necessity 
for  his  atonement.  Thus  did  he  fully  explain  the  princi- 
ples on  which  its  necessity  was  built,  and  on  which  it  was 
not  only  to  be  offered  to  God,  but  proposed  for  man's 
simple  yet  cordial  acceptance.  Thus,  too,  did  he  vindicate 
and  magnify  this  ancient  and  unchanging  record,  and 
22 


254  THE  MEANS  OF  RECOVERY 

show  triumphantly,  that  "the  law  is  good,  if  a  man  use  it 
lawfully — according  to  the  glorious  gospel  of  the  blessed 
God." 

Yes,  indeed,  when  Man  should  afterwards  behold  the 
Lamb  as  the  visible  representation  of  the  invisible  God, 
bearing  away  the  sins  of  the  world,  or  when  looking  over 
Mount  Calvary  to  heaven  itself,  doubtless  the  Saviour 
meant,  that  the  various  perfections  of  his  Father  should 
appear  conspicuously  in  harmony  round  that  cross — 
Mercy  and  Truth  met  together,  Righteousness  and  Peace 
embracing  each  other. 

Surely  then,  my  friend,  the  various  attributes  of  the 
great  and  blessed  God,  with  which  formerly  you  were  apt 
to  deal,  at  one  moment  partially,  and  at  another  irreve- 
rently, speaking  of  one  as  being  more  estimable,  or  even 
more  lovely,  than  another,  must  now  appear  in  a  very 
different  light  indeed  ?  With  which  of  these  could  you 
"how  dispense?  "The  very  question,"  you  reply,  "is 
irreverent  and  ungrateful.  My  idea  of  God,  when  the 
atonement  is  tlms  introduced  to  my  notice,  is  surely  now 
at  last  just  and  correct,  as  far  as  it  goes,  on  a  subject  so 
profound.  God  is  Love,  and  all  his  attributes  are  but 
different  modifications  of  love,  or  love  operating  in  dif- 
ferent ways."  In  all  this  I  think  you  are  right.  Vindic- 
tive justice  itself,  whatever  any  interested  party  may  say, 
is  the  love  of  order ;  and  it  is  exercised  for  the  welfare  of 
being  in  general.  The  whole  law  itself,  of  which  so 
many  are  afraid  to  speak;  from  which  many  feel  so 
averse ;  and  for  which  some  professors,  nay,  even  preach- 
ers, feel  little  or  no  occasion,  is  in  fact  founded  in  the 
divine  character :  it  is  a  transcript  of  it,  and  has  been 
summoned  up  in  love,  expressing  the  benevolence  of  Him 
who  gave  it. 

"  Besides,"  you  continue,  "  having  both  found  out  and 
felt  such  a  necessity  for  the  atonement;  understanding 


AND  ESTABLISHMENT.  255 

now  so  far  the  principles  on  which  it  was  offered,  and  on 
which  it  is  freely  proposed  to  man,  I  see  also  why  it  is 
styled  '  the  glorious  gospel  of  the  blessed  God ; '  and 
surely  I,  in  some  degree,  better  understand  the  connec- 
tion in  which  this  expression  is  introduced  in  Scripture." 

Now  then,  also,  you  may  see  how,  and  why  it  is  that 
any  man  "  made  free  by  the  Son,  is  free  indeed ; "  free, 
to  expatiate  on  the  collection  of  the  divine  perfections, 
styled  in  Scripture,  "  the  name  of  God  ; "  free,  to  survey 
them  in  union ;  and  free,  to  gather  them  up,  reverently, 
by  deep  meditation,  and  then  exclaim,  "  Who  is  so  great 
a  God  as  our  God  ?  He  that  is  our  God  is  the  God  of 
Salvation ;  and  unto  God  the  Lord  belong  the  issues  from 
death ! " 

The  arguments  contained  in  the  preceding  pages  are 
applicable,  without  doubt,  to  the  young  as  well  as  the  old, 
to  Children  or  youth  as  well  as  Parents ;  but  as  the 
former  have  it  not  in  their  power  to  act  as  they  would  in 
the  Family  circle,  and  the  restoration  of  it  is  the  object  in 
view,  I  have  addressed  myself  to  those  especially  who 
stand  at  the  head  of  families;  to  such  as  have  already 
been  invested  with  an  influence  and  authority  for  which 
they  are  responsible  to  God ;  and  which,  as  they  are 
bound  to  use  them  for  his  glory,  so  they  have  an  opportu- 
nity of  immediately  employing  them  on  a  constitution  of 
things  made  ready  to  their  hands, — a  subject,  however, 
which  will  be  more  fully  considered  in  the  following 
Section. 

Here,  therefore,  our  conversation  may  for  the  present 
come  to  a  close.  Once  only  possessed  of  principles  such 
as  these,  sure  I  am  that  you  will  admire  the  Scripture 
characters  of  ancient  time,  as  well  as  the  goodly  company 
who  have  followed  in  their  footsteps.  Like  them,  your 
principles  will  be  unfolded,  especially  in  your  relative 
connections :  like  them,  will  you  command  your  children, 


256  THE  MEANS  OF  RECOVERY,  &c. 

and  your  household  after  you,  to  keep  the  way  of  the 
Lord  :  like  them,  resolve  that  you  and  your's  shall  serve 
the  Lord,  and,  like  them,  will  you  often  return  to  bless 
your  house.  Of  you,  too,  even  you,  will  God  again  con- 
descend in  effect  to  say,  "I  know  such  a  one,  that  he 
will  do  all  this ;  and  the  heart,  though  conscious  of  a  de- 
pravity to  which  it  was  before  a  stranger,  yet  the  heart 
being  now  right  in  my  sight,  many  other  things  will  be 
right  ere  long." 


SECTION  FOURTH. 


THE     MANNER     OF    PROCEDURE    WITH    REGARD    TO 
A    FAMILY. 

Introductory  remarks — the  importance  of  a  right  commencement. — 
The  manner  in  which  Christianity  is  represented  in  Scripture,  as 
restoring  the  Family  to  its  proper  state— illustrated  by  reference 
to  the  ministry  of  John  the  Baptist,  of  Christ  and  the  Apostles — 
the  conversions  to  Christianity  among  the  Jews  in  ancient  time  ; 
those  from  among  the  Heathen  in  our  own  day,  and  the  final 
restoration  of  the  Jews,  referred  to  in  confirmation  of  such  min- 
istry and  mode  of  address — the  duty  of  following  such  examples, 
imperious. 

THE  manner  in  which  Christianity  is  represented,  as 
addressing  and  restoring  the  family,  and  so,  if  possible,  or 
if  intended,  the  nation,  where  its  families  are  in  general 
debased  or  corrupted,  deserves  the  most  serious  considera- 
tion. The  .language  of  inspiration  implies,  that  the 
Parents,  as  such,  are  to  be  especially  regarded.  Next  to 
the  precise  terms  of  divine  revelation,  the  order  of  its 
language  should  be  observed  ;  and,  in  the  present  case, 
this  has  become  the  more  necessary,  from  so  many  begin- 
ning, I  may  say,  at  the  wrong  end.  The  commission  of 
our  blessed  Lord  is  to  be  revealed  to,  and  pressed  upon, 
every  creature,  old  and  young,  Parents  and  Children,  in- 
dividually, according  to  his  command.  The  axe  is  laid 
at  the  root  of  every  tree.  But  in  perfect  harmony  with 
22* 


258  THE  MANNER  OF  PROCEDURE 

this,  in  applying  divine  truth  to  a  constitution  of  his  own 
creation,  there  may  be  an  order  which  is  agreeable  to  his 
will ;  one  to  which  he  may  have  given  his  decided  sanc- 
tion in  all  ages  :  and  if  this  should  be  apparent,  it  then 
becomes  at  once  our  wisdom  and  our  duty  to  follow  it. 
Let  the  order,  then,  of  the  following  words,  as  well  as  that 
of  other  passages  to  be  adduced,  be  studied : 

"  He  shall  turn  the  heart  of  the  Fathers  unto  the  Children, 
and  the  heart  of  the  Children  to  their  Fathers." 

By  too  many  in  the  present  day,  and  these  individuals 
who  possess  both  benevolent  and  patriotic  intentions,  it 
seems  to  be  received  as  an  incontrovertible  and  sound 
maxim,  that,  in  order  to  the  radical  cure  of  a  nation  sunk 
in  vice,  or  degenerating  in  morals,  the  first,  if  not  the  only 
hope,  is  to  be  fixed  on  the  young  and  rising  generation ; 
and  they  therefore  often  repeat, — "  We  must  BEGIN  with 
the  Children."  "  If  the  Parents,"  they  tell  us,  "  cannot 
instruct  their  Children  in  any  thing  good,  and  evidently 
train  them  up  in  nothing  but  vice  ;  nay,  if  they  will  not 
instruct  them  at  all,  and  if  we  cannot  impress  their  minds 
with  a  sense  of  their  obligation,  (though  in  nine  instances 
out  of  ten  this  has  not  been  first  and  patiently  done,  in  faith 
of  its  effect,)  all  that  seems  left  to  us  is  to  begin  with  the 
Children.  Besides,  as  far  as  we  can  see,  the  best,  if  not 
the  only  way,  for  reaching  such  Parents,  so  depraved,  or 
so  lost  to  a  sense  of  their  duty  and  responsibility,  is 
through  the  hearts  of  their  Children.  At  all  events,  be- 
ginning with  them,  we  shall  plant  wholly  a  right  seed, 
and  the  generation  following  them  will  reap  the  benefit, — 
the  body  politic  being  thus  effectually  restored  to  a  sound 
and  healthy  condition."  Even  a  few  eminent  individuals 
have  given  countenance  to  this  false  reasoning,  from  their 
having,  in  a  great  degree,  given  up  the  generation  "going 
away"  in  despair.  To  them,  they  seem  so  thoroughly 


WITH  REGARD  TO  A  FAMILY.  259 

rooted  and  grounded  in  vice,  that,  if  not  altogether  hope- 
less, they  are,  as  a  body,  likely  to  grow  together  unto  the 
harvest ! 

It  is  rather  remarkable,  that  this  strain  of  reasoning 
should  make  such  approach,  to  certain  ideas  entertained 
by  professedly  wise  men,  among  the  most  eminent  heathen 
nations  of  antiquity.  Aristotle,  Plutarch,  and  others, 
were  much  impressed  with  the  value  and  necessity  of 
education,  and,  in  the  warmth  of  their  zeal,  they  cried 
out  loudly  against  the  education  of  Children  being  left 
entirely  to  the  mercy  and  disposal  of  Parents.  They 
thought  that  this  would  ultimately  prove  >a  destructive 
injury  to  the  state,  and  urged  strongly  that  the  public — the 
community — should  take  up  the  subject.  "  Why,"  it  was 
said,  as  they  thought  unanswerably,  "  why  rest  this  wholly 
on  persons  who  are  so  often  found  to  be  careless,  or  igno- 
rant, or  indiscreet,  and  by  no  means  fit  to  govern  them- 
selves?" 

Here,  however,  as  Christians,  let  us  be  considerate. 
Did  education,  whether  by  Parents  or  the  community, 
include  all  that  God  in  mercy  does  for  man,  through  the 
instrumentality  of  man,  then  would  there  be  more  force  in 
the  question  put  by  Aristotle  or  Plutarch,  and  then  would 
there  be  more  plausibility  in  the  reasoning  quoted,  of 
modern  professors  of  Christianity  or  political  economists. 
But  since  education,  whether  domestic  or  public,  whether 
performed  by  Parents  in  person,  or  attempted  to  be  per- 
formed for  them,  whether  purchased  by  them,  or  paid  for 
them,  is  not  all;  since  especially  the  Messiah's  last  com- 
mission is  still  binding ;  since  there  stands  before  us,  the 
sovereign  appointment  of  the  ministry  of  the  word,  for  the 
conversion  of  men;  then,  in  these  expressions  of  the 
heathen  philosopher,  many  in  our  day  will  see  but  the 
weakness,  and  hear  but  the  melancholy  wailing  of  a 
nation,  at  once  devoid  of  Christianity,  and  destitute  of 


260  THE  MANNER  OF  PROCEDURE 

divine  revelation ;  while,  in  the  reasoning  of  modern 
times,  they  may  discover  only  that  two  things  are  con- 
founded, which  are  not  only  perfectly  distinct,  but  per- 
fectly consistent  with  each  other,  viz.  the  incumbent  duty 
of  Christian  education,  and  the  positive  institution  of 
Heaven  for  the  conversion  of  men. 

In  any  country  where  Christianity  is  in  being, — where 
the  Christian  ministry  exists,  and  the  Christian  revelation 
is  possessed,  to  which  appeal  can  be  made,  we  must  attend 
to  the  peculiarly  important  and  happy  circumstances  in 
which  it  is  placed.  These  circumstances  I  call  happy,  as 
affording  the  means  which  God  has  ordained,  for  the  pro- 
motion of  pure  and  undefiled  religion.  The  impotence  of 
the  ministry,  as  there  and  then  administered,  may  indeed 
suggest  to  well-intentioned  individuals,  the  necessity  of 
expedients  to  aid  its  impotence,  or  compensate  for  its  in- 
efficiency ;  but  the  impotence  of  any  given  ministry,  is 
quite  distinct  from  that  institution,  which,  when  adminis- 
tered, with  wisdom,  in  its  appropriate  spirit,  actually  in- 
volves both  the  wisdom  and  the  power  of  God  for  salvation. 

Wherever,  therefore,  the  intelligent  Christian's  lot  is 
cast,  when  the  restoration  of  a  family,  or  the  raising  of  a 
nation  by  religious  and  moral  instruction,  is  proposed,  the 
institution  which  God  has  been  pleased  to  appoint  and 
sanction  for  the  conversion  of  men,  whether  publicly  or 
from  house  to  house*  he  can  never  agree  to  merge,  in  the 
moral  obligation  of  man  to  imbue  the  infant  mind  with 
the  first  principles  of  the  oracles  of  God.  These  are  two 
things  so  distinct,  that  they  must  not  be  confounded  :  they 
are  in  perfect  harmony  with  each  other,  and  for  each  there 
is  provided  by  God  an  appropriate  sphere  of  action. 

In  reference,  therefore,  to  the  reasoning  already  re- 
ferred to,  let  it  be  observed,  whether  it  is  not  proceeding 
on  the  supposition,  or  upon  the  confessed  or  lamented 

*  Acts  xx.  £0,  21. 


WITH  REGARD  TO  A  FAMILY.  261 

admission,  of  an  impotent  or  powerless  ministry;  nay, 
whether,  in  the  mouths  of  some,  it  is  not  overlooking  the 
appointment  of  God  itself;  and  whether,  under  its  in- 
fluence, well-intentioned  schemes  and  plans  may  not  be 
proposed  and  adopted,  which  may  ultimately  and  seriously 
invade  the  constitutional  energy  of  the  domestic  circle. 

Let  us,  however,  now  revert  to  facts,  and  look  back  to 
other  days.  The  land  of  Judea  had  frequently  to  mourn 
under  a  degeneracy  of  morals;  nor  could  it  be  much  more 
abandoned  than  it  was  in  the  days  of  Jehoiachin,  who  still 
went  on  doing  evil  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord,  after  the  king, 
his  Father,  with  his  servants  around  him,  had,  without 
fear,  burnt  the  roll  of  Jeremiah  the  prophet.  The  state  of 
the  nation  is  even  minutely  described.  The  land  was 
overrun  with  impurity ;  because  of  swearing  it  mourned. 
As  a  nation  their  course  was  evil,  and  their  force  not 
right.  The  great  value  and  merciful  intention  of  divine 
threatenings  were  alike  despised  ;  and  the  threatenings 
called  contemptuously,  by  false  prophets  and  a  wicked 
people,  "  the  burden  of  the  Lord  : "  in  short,  both  pro- 
phet and  priest  were  profane  ;  "  Yea,  in  my  house  have  I 
found  their  wickedness,"  said  Jehovah.  The  land  of 
Judea  at  this  period  also  deserves  particular  notice,  inas- 
much as  its  sad  degeneracy  is  traced  up  to  one  guilty 
source  or  cause.  The  people,  it  seems,  labored  under, 
not  merely  an  inefficient  ministry,  but  a  pernicious  one. 
"  I  have  not  sent  these  prophets,  saith  the  Lord,  and  yet 
they  ran  :  I  have  not  spoken  unto  them,  and  yet  they 
preached.  But  if  they  had  continued  in  my  counsel,  and 
caused  my  people  to  hear  my  words,  they  had  turned  them 
from  their  evil  ways  and  wicked  imaginations.  Am  I 
then  God  that  seeth  but  the  thing  that  is  nigh  at  hand, 
and  not  that  is  afar  off?  saith  the  Lord.  May  any  man 
hide  himself  so  that  I  shall  not  see  him  ?  saith  the  Lord. 
Do  not  I  fill  heaven  and  earth  ?  saith  the  Lord.  I  have 


262         THE  MANNER  OF  PROCEDURE 

heard  well  enough  what  the  prophets  say,  that  preach  lies  in 
my  name,  saying, '  I  have  dreamed,  I  have  dreamed.'  How 
long  will  this  continue  in  the  prophets'  hearts,  to  tell  lies, 
and  preach  the  crafty  subtilty  of  their  own  heart?  Whose 
purpose  is,  with  their  dreams  which  every  one  telleth,  to 
make  my  people  forget  my  name,  as  their  forefathers  did, 
when  Baal  came  up. — Therefore  thus  saith  the  Lord,  I 
will  upon  the  prophets  that  steal  my  word  privily  from 
every  man :  Behold,  here  am  I,  saith  the  Lord,  against 
those  prophets  that  dare  prophecy  lies,  and  deceive  my 
people  with  their  vanities,  whom  I  never  sent,  nor  com- 
manded them.  They  will  do  this  people  great  harm,  saith 
the  Lord."* 

The  Parents  here  were  certainly  as  far  gone  as  they 
could  well  go ;  and  what  was  the  remedy  in  such  a  case  ? 
Though,  to  all  appearance,  in  a  desperate  and  hopeless 
condition,  was  there  any  hope  of  recovery,  independently 
of  these  Parents,  or  were  they  to  be  reached  only  in  a 
circuitous  or  indirect  way,  through  impressions  made  on 
their  Children  ?  If,  however,  there  was  any  remedy  at  all, 
what  was  it?  "  He  that  hath  my  word,  let  him  speak  my 
word  faithfully :  What  is  the  chaff  to  the  wheat,  saith 
the  Lord  ?  Is  not  my  word  like  a  fire  ?  saith  the  Lord ; 
and  like  a  hammer  that  breaketh  the  rock  in  pieces  ?"t 
The  Almighty,  then  turning  upon  those  who  ought  to 
have  known  better,  at  the  same  moment  tells  the  whole 
nation,  by  Jeremiah,  if  no  one  else  would  : — "  The 
prophet,  and  the  priest,  and  the  people,  which  shall  say, 
the  burden  of  the  Lord,  I  will  even  punish  that  man,  and 
his  house  /"|  For  divine  threatenings  despised  then,  it 
seems  there  was  no  remedy,  except  calm  and  patient,  but 
determined  repetition — repetition  of  the  testimony,  and 
the  threatening  and  the  promise  of  God ;  but  still  in  doing 

*  Jeremiah  xxiii.  21—27,  30—32.     Tyndal's  translation, 
t  Idem  xxiii.  28,  29.  $  Jeremiah  xxiii.  34. 


WITH  REGARD  TO  A  FAMILY.  263 

this,  I  know  not  of  a  heart,  however  far  gone,  of  which  I 
can  obtain  a  more  powerful  hold,  than  the  parental,  nor 
of  a  more  powerful  hold  of  that  heart,  than  that  which 
God  himself  here  employs, — "  I  will  even  punish  that 
man — and  his  house  !  " 

For  a  few  moments,  however,  let  the  consideration  of 
the  purpose  of  God,  by  the  ministry  of  his  word,  be  sus- 
pended, and  the  Domestic  Constitution  itself  be  again 
regarded.  To  the  method  proposed  by  some,  of  beginning 
with  the  Children,  it  might  also  be  remarked,  that,  were 
a  constitution  of  things  founded  in  nature  by  God  himself, 
with  such  designs  in  view,  and  existing  alike  wherever 
human  nature  exists,  not  standing  before  us;  and  were 
education  to  be  summed  up  in  the  mechanical  arts  of 
reading,  writing,  and  arithmetic,  and  the  communication 
of  knowledge  only,  instead  of  its  embracing  also  the  com- 
munication of  wisdom  and  the  formation  of  habits,  then 
some  such  theory  might  be  applied,  and  its  effects  watched. 
But  it  is  in  vain  to  contend  with  Nature  and  her  physical 
impossibilities.  While  the  Child  remains  in  the  daily  or 
even  nightly  possession  of  the  Parent,  how  little  can  any 
such  plan  radically  accomplish?  and  yet,  whatever  is  done 
upon  system,  however  kindly  meant,  which  either  at  first, 
or  ultimately  weakens  this  connection,  is  a  proportional  ad- 
vance to  the  brink  of  ruin ;  and  take  the  Child  away  in  a 
nation,  and  that  nation  is  ruined.  The  entire  fabric  of 
society  is  affected  ;  a  constitution  of  things  is  invaded  and 
broken  down ;  and  the  God  of  all  the  families  of  the  earth 
would  rise  up  in  judgment.  No,  human  expedients,  how- 
ever specious,  and  beautiful,  and  well-intentioned  they 
seem  at  first  sight,  often  in  the  application  prove  hideous 
and  cruel ;  and  if  they,  I  do  not  say,  run  counter  to  a 
constitution  of  God's  own  creation,  but  if  they  pass  by,  or 
even  slight  it,  they  will  prove  vain  and  weak  indeed.  In 
modern  times,  it  seems  to  be  unknown  to  many,  that 


264         THE  MANNER  OF  PROCEDURE 

whatever  may  be  done  for  the  Children  of  a  nation,  they 
will  ever  go  on,  not  merely  to  receive  a  tinge,  but  to  take 
their  character  from  those  with  whom  they  speak,  and  eat, 
and  sleep.  To  fall  in,  therefore,  with  the  all-wise  arrange- 
ment of  the  God  of  nature  and  revelation  is  our  only  wis- 
dom. Such  a  course  will  secure  his  blessing  and  sanction, 
and  with  these,  in  the  most  desperate  case,  the  utmost 
success  awaits  us,  of  which  the  case  will  admit. 

Without  hesitation,  it  will  be  granted  by  all,  that,  in 
proceeding  to  apply  a  remedy  to  a  disease,  to  restore  what 
is  corrupted  or  decaying,  or  to  rectify  any  disorder,  ulti- 
mate success  depends  almost  entirely  on  the  commence- 
ment. If  we  begin  wrong,  sooner  or  later,  we  must  begin 
again,  wherever  it  is  possible  so  to  do.  In  such  a  case  as 
the  present,  therefore,  let  it  be  our  wisdom  to  begin  with 
Men  where  God  begins  with  them ;  and,  in  humble 
dependence  on  Him,  if  we  have  his  word,  and  speak  it 
faithfully,  let  no  man's  heart  fail  him  :  the  same  cause 
will  produce  the  same  effect.  He  will  turn  the  heart  of 
the  Fathers  to  the  Children,  and  the  heart  of  the  Children 
to  their  Fathers,  and  employ  us,  too,  blessed  be  his  name, 
in  doing  so. 

Nor  is  there  in  this  case  any  thing  unusual,  or  any 
thing  which  is  not  done  in  every  other  case  analogous  to 
it,  whether  for  the  rectification  of  evil,  or  the  production 
of  good.  Hence,  when  nations  are  sunk  in  depravity, 
their  Rulers  are  addressed  ;  when  churches  are  corrupt, 
their  Pastors  :  the  leader  of  an  army  is  held  responsible 
for  his  men  ;  the  guide  and  supercargo  of  a  vessel,  for  the 
vessel  itself,  and  all  on  board. 

For  the  prevention  of  evil  the  same  method  is  pursued. 
Hence,  while  God  himself  wrote  the  ten  commandments, 
thus  strongly  marking  their  permanency  and  universal 
obligation,  he  ordered  Moses  to  write  down  all  the  judicial 
and  ceremonial  precepts  peculiar  to  the  economy  of  which 


WITH  REGARD  TO  A  FAMILY.  265 

he  was  to  have  the  charge.  Hence,  the  degeneracy  of 
Israel  as  a  nation  was  removed  or  retarded  by  Judges  who 
judged,  or  Kings  who  ruled  over  them.  Hence,  to  the 
kings  in  general  over  the  Jews,  it  was  said, — "And  it 
shall  be,  when  he  sitteth  upon  the  throne  of  his  kingdom, 
that  he  shall  write  him  a  copy  of  this  law  in  a  book,  out  of 
that  which  is  before  the  Priests  and  the  Levites  ;  and  it 
shall  be  with  him,  and  he  shall  read  therein  all  the  days 
of  his  life ;  that  he  may  learn  to  fear  the  Lord  his  God,  to 
keep  all  the  words  of  this  law,  and  these  statutes  to  do 
them ;  that  his  heart  be  not  lifted  up  above  his  brethren ; 
and  that  he  turn  not  aside  from  the  commandment  to  the 
right  hand  or  to  the  left ;  to  the  end,  that  he  may  prolong 
his  days  in  his  kingdom,  he,  and  his  children,  in  the  midst 
of  Israel."*  Hence  Paul,  unable  to  reach  the  Church 
itself,  sent  for  its  Elders,  and  said,  "  Take  heed  to  your- 
selves, and  to  all  the  flock  over  which  the  Holy  Spirit  hath 
made  you  overseers."  Hence,  when  the  seven  churches 
in  Asia  were  addressed  by  the  Saviour,  he  desired  his 
address  to  be  sent  to  the  angel  of  each  ;  and  when  Paul 
would  provide  for  the  future  purity  and  prosperity  of  the 
Church  of  Christ,  he  sits  down  and  solemnly  addresses 
himself  to  Timothy  and  Titus. 

If  this,  however,  is  the  mode  of  procedure  to  which  the 
Author  of  Nature  and  the  constitution  of  things  alike 
direct  us,  we  shall  not  be  left  without  reasons,  both  power- 
ful and  striking,  for  our  pursuing  it;  and  especially  with 
regard  to  a  family.  As  a  specimen,  let  the  two  following 
considerations  be  duly  weighed : 

1.  Observe  the  difference  between  what  is  requisite  and 
generally  adopted,  for  the  ascertaining  of  guilt,  and  for 
the  conviction  of  sin,  once  ascertained  or  confessed. 

*  This  law  was  probably  but  very  seldom  observed  by  the  Kings  of 
Judah,  and  never  by  the  Kings  of  Israel.    Observe  the  consequences. 
23 


266        THE  MANNER  OF  PROCEDURE 

The  manner  in  which  the  Lord  himself  proceeded,  upon 
the  very  entrance  of  sin  into  our  world,  affords  an  illustra- 
tion of  this  difference,  at  once  safe  and  satisfactory.  Pro- 
ceeding to  ascertain  the  painful  and  awful  case,  and  in  a 
way  of  condescension  to  human  nature,  now,  alas!  fallen, 
His  voice  first  strikes  upon  the  ear  of  Adam,  who  at  once 
admits  that  he  was  afraid  and  ashamed,  but  refers  to  the 
woman,  who  endeavors  to  shift  the  blame,  by  a  reference 
to  him  who  was  most  guilty.  But  the  respective  guilt  of 
each  party  once  ascertained,  this  order  is  reversed  ;  and 
in  pronouncing  sentence  of  condemnation,  with  a  view  to 
our  first  Parents  reading  their  sin  in  their  punishment, 
Jehovah  begins  with  Satan  ;  then  pronounces  sentence  on 
the  woman  ;  and  finally  on  Adam. 

Now,  were  it  not  already  ascertained,  beyond  a  doubt, 
that  Parents  have  been  Jirst  in  fault ;  that  they  have  been 
not  only  most  negligent  and  most  guilty,  but  the  cause  of 
their  Children's  ignorance  and  bad  habits ;  then  would  it 
seem,  not  only  proper,  but  even  necessary,  to  begin  with 
the  party  who  has  been  led  astray,  and  less  guilty,  as 
Jehovah  did.  But  between  the  process  necessary  for  the 
ascertaining  with  whom  the  chief  guilt  rests,  and  that 
which  is  incumbent  on  us  for  the  radical  conviction  of  sin 
in  the  group  itself,  there  is  such  a  material  difference, 
that  it  is  generally  found  necessary  to  proceed  in  two 
ways,  directly  opposite. 

2.  Observe  also  the  difference  between  what  I  may 
style  ascending  and  descending  love. 

Descending  love  ought  to  exist  to  a  much  greater 
degree,  since  it  is  capable  of  being  carried  to  a  much 
greater  extent,  than  ascending.  As  the  love  of  God 
descending  is  infinitely  greater  than  that  which  does  or 
which  can  ascend  to  him  in  return ;  so  the  love  of  man, 
which  descends  to  the  young  and  to  posterity,  or  the  love 
of  care  over  them,  is,  or  may  be,  much  greater  than  that 


WITH  REGARD  TO  A  FAMILY.  267 

which  does  or  which  can  return  or  ascend  ;  and,  as  in  the 
former  case,  the  first  is  not  only  first  in  the  order  of  time, 
but  produces  and  promotes  the  second,  so  it  ought  to  be 
in  all  cases  which  bear  any  analogy,  and  much  more  in  a 
case  like  the  present,  which  bears  such  analogy. 

The  truth,  therefore,  seems  to  be,  that,  in  whatever  way 
this  subject  is  viewed,  in  the  case  of  a  debased  or  dis- 
ordered family,  the  main  offence,  the  chief  amount  of 
guilt,  lies  with  the  Parents.  The  evils  and  the  incon- 
venience suffered  by  a  country,  in  consequence  of  the 
ingratitude  and  disobedience  of  its  Children  towards  their 
Parents  may  be  great,  but  they  are,  literally,  after  all,  but 
few  and  light  indeed,  in  comparison  with  the  evils  and 
distress  which  it  suffers  from  the  remissness  or  neglect  of 
which  Parents  are  guilty  towards  their  offspring.  The 
influence  which  is  peculiar  to  them,  in  depressing  or 
elevating  a  nation,  is  not  only  prodigious — it  is  incalcu- 
lable. 

Now,  were  there  no  instrument  expressly  appointed,  or 
peculiarly  adapted,  for  bearing  down  directly  upon  a  body 
so  potent  as  this,  we  should  feel  helpless  indeed  in  all  our 
attempts  after  a  better  day.  But  a  remedy  assuredly  there 
is,  of  peculiar  adaptation  to  the  character  and  position  of 
a  Parent.  Hence,  even  in  the  two  considerations  just 
stated,  we  have  in  one  the  argument  of  greatest  sin,  and 
in  the  other  the  argument  of  strongest  obligation.  Hence 
the  warnings,  the  threatenings,  the  arguments  for  con- 
science, furnished  to  us  in  Scripture  for  the  parental  ear, 
are  so  peculiarly  adapted  to  the  responsible,  and,  if  guilty, 
the  perilous  situation  of  a  Father  or  Mother. 

Here,  however,  we  are  evidently  again  thrown  back  on 
the  ministry  of  the  word ;  on  the  commission  of  our 
Saviour,  still  sounding  in  the  ear ;  and  on  obedience  to  it, 
whether  publicly,  or  from  house  to  house  ;  as  well  as  the 
necessity  for  implicit  faith  on  our  part,  in  God's  own 


268  THE  MANNER  OF  PROCEDURE 

instituted   and    determined    way  of  proceeding    with    his 
apostate  family. 

It  is  indeed  very  possible,  as  I  hare  already  hinted,  that 
the  extreme  impotency  of  preaching  in  our  day,  may  have 
induced  benevolent  men  to  look  about,  and  see  whether 
any  other,  or,  at  least,  additional  means  could  be  devised 
for  keeping  down  immorality,  and  suppressing  vice,  and 
exterminating  juvenile  delinquency.  Had  senior  delin- 
quency been  especially  regarded,  and  inquiries  been  insti- 
tuted on  the  part  of  individuals  whom  it  most  concerns, 
into  the  cause  of  the  impotency  referred  to,  I  am  firmly 
persuaded,  that  greater  progress  would  have  been  made  in 
what  many  profess  to  desire,  and  all  agree  to  be  necessary. 
At  the  same  time,  as  I  have  already  remarked,  the  impo- 
tency of  any  given  ministry,  in  any  country,  is  one  thing, 
the  institution  and  appointment  of  God  another ;  and 
when  I  hear  such  a  man  as  John  Howe  lamenting  over 
this  impotency,  even  in  his  day,  but  still  magnifying  the 
appointment  itself,  and  confidently  anticipating  a  brighter 
day,  by  means  of  this,  when  God  shall,  by  his  servants, 
justify  the  power  and  the  wisdom  of  his  own  institution ;  I 
know  not  that  any  man,  in  such  circumstances,  could  do 
much  better,  than  adopt  his  sentiments,  and  try  to  imbibe 
the  spirit  which  such  a  man  possessed.* 

*  "  I  remember,"  says  an  American  author,  "  a  remarkable  pas- 
sage of  the  late  learned  Mr.  Howe,  which  I  think  it  may  be  worth 
while  to  transcribe  here.  It  is  in  his  Discourse  concerning  the 
prosperous  state  of  the  Church,  before  the  end  of  time,  by  a  plen- 
tiful effusion  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  l  In  such  a  time,'  says  he,  '  when 
the  Spirit  shall  be  poured  forth,  surely  the  Ministers  of  Christ  shall 
have  their  proportionable  share ;  and  when  such  a  time  as  that  shall 
come,  I  believe  you  will  hear  much  other  kind  of  sermons,  or  they 
will,  who  live  at  such  a  time,  than  you  are  wont  to  do  now-a-days; 
souls  will  surely  be  dealt  with  at  another  rate.  It  is  plain,  too  sadly 
plain,  that  there  is  a  great  retraction  of  the  Spirit  even  from  us. 
We  know  not  how  to  speak  living  sense  into  souls  ;  how  to  get 
within  your  minds :  our  words  die  in  our  mouths,  or  drop  and  die 


WITH  REGARD  TO  A  FAMILY. 

To  return,  however,  more  directly  to  the  Parents  and 
Children.  "  Is  not  all  this/'  some  man  may  still  say, 
"only  a  delightful  dream?  Not  as  yet,"  he  continues, 
"  am  I  able  to  point  out  to  you  any  triumphant  instance 

between  us  and  you.  We  even,  as  it  were,  faint  when  we  speak  ; 
long-experienced  unsuccessfulness  makes  us  despond  :  we  speak 
not  as  persons  that  hope  to  prevail ;  that  expect  to  make  you  heav- 
enly, or  mindful  of  God,  and  to  walk  more  like  Christians.  The 
methods  of  alluring  and  convincing  souls,  even  that  some  of  us 
have  known,  are  lost  from  amongst  us  in  a  great  part.  There  have 
been  other  ways  taken  than  we  can  tell  now  how  to  fall  upon,  for 
the  mollifying  of  the  obdurate,  and  the  awakening  of  the  secure  ; 
for  the  convincing  and  persuading  of  the  obstinate,  and  the  winning 
of  the  disaffected.  Surely  there  will  be  a  large  share  that  will 
come  even  to  the  part  of  Ministers,  when  such  an  effusion  of  the 
Spirit  shall  be  as  it  is  expected.  Then  they  shall  know  how  to 
speak  to  better  purpose — with  more  compassion — with  more  seri- 
ousness— with  more  authority  and  allurement,  than  we  now  find 
we  can.' " 

Agreeably  to  the  just  expectation  of  this  great  and  excellent  man, 
continues  this  writer,  with  reference  to  the  people  of  New  England, 
we  have  found  it  in  this  day  : — "  A  number  of  preachers  have  ap- 
peared among  us,  to  whom  God  has  given  such  a  measure  of  his 
Spirit,  that  we  are  ready  sometimes  to  apply  to  them  the  character 
given  of  Barnabas.  The  doctrines  they  insist  on  are  the  doctrines 
of  the  Reformation,  under  the  influence  whereof  the  power  of  god- 
liness so  flourished  in  the  last  century.  The  points  on  which  their 
preaching  mainly  turns  are  these  important  ones  of  man's  guilt, 
corruption,  and  impotence  ;  supernatural  regeneration  by  the  Spirit 
of  God ;  and  free  justification  by  faith  in  the  righteousness  of 
Christ.  The  manner  of  their  preaching  is  not  with  the  enticing 
words  of  man's  wisdom ;  howbeit  they  speak  wisdom  among  them 
that  are  perfect.  An  ardent  love  to  Christ  and  to  souls  warms 
their  breasts,  and  animates  their  labors.  God  has  made  these  his 
ministers  as  a  flame  of  fire  in  his  service ;  and  his  word  in  their 
mouths  has  been  '  as  a  fire,  and  as  a  hammer  which  breaketh  the 
rock  in  pieces.'  In  most  places,  God  has  evidently  wrought  with 
them.  Such  a  power,  and  such  a  presence  of  God  in  religious 
assemblies,  has  not  been  known  since  God  set  up  his  sanctuary 
amongst  us.  He  has  indeed  'glorified  the  house  of  his  glory.'" — 
See  the  Works  of  President  Edwards, vol.  viii.  581—588 ;  and  Howes 
Works,  vol.  v.  throughout. 

23* 


270  THE  MANNER  OF  PROCEDURE 

of  a  community  raised  permanently,  by  the  opposite 
method ;  but  are  you  able  to  show  me  the  operation  and 
the  effect  of  that  which  you  now  recommend  1 " — To 
such  an  individual  I  reply,  with  my  Bible  in  my  hand, 
happily  I  am  ;  and  to  such  an  instance  also,  as  should, 
and,  I  believe,  must  become  at  once  the  guide  and 
encouragement  of  all  nations,  in  any  condition,  and  in 
every  age. 

For  both  proof  and  illustration,  I  have  no  objections  to 
be  confined  to  the  literal  fulfilment  of  this  very  prophecy. 
To  the  blessed  day,  when  John  began,  when  Jesus  per- 
fected, and  his  Apostles  followed,  in  turning  the  heart  of 
the  Fathers  to  their  Children.  Much  of  proof,  indeed,  I 
think,  has  been  already  adduced  ;  but  it  is  more  than 
merely  worth  our  while  to  take  another  view  of  this 
subject,  in  a  more  distinct  and  connected  manner. 

Carry  your  eye,  then,  along  the  delightful  stream  of 
the  New  Testament  narrative,  from  the  moment  when 
you  discover,  in  the  wilderness  of  Judea,  "the  waters 
break  out,  and  streams  in  the  desert."  On  either  side 
you  will  see  Family  connections  and  Family  groups  be- 
stirred and  changed,  and  the  parental  heart  especially, 
vibrating  in  all  its  tenderness. 

But  we  have  been  urging  the  importance  of  a  right 
commencement ;  let  us  try  it  here.  On  looking  back  to 
the  origin  of  the  triumph  of  Christianity,  at  once  we  are 
introduced  to  two  Parents,  and  are  carried  home  to  the 
very  bosom  of  a  Family.  It  was  fit  that  the  man  alluded 
to  by  the  last  of  the  Prophets,  and  who  was  first  to  be  so 
employed,  should  himself  be  the  Child  of  such  Parents. 
His  Father  and  Mother,  "  Zacharias  and  Elizabeth,  were 
both  righteous  before  God,  and  were  walking  in  all  the 
commandments  and  ordinances  of  the  Lord  blameless," 
when,  in  answer  to  their  supplications,  Jehovah  promised 
them  such  a  Son.  In  fixing  on  the  man  who  was  to  ac- 


WITH  REGARD  TO  A  FAMILY.  271 

complish  such  a  prophecy,  we  see  the  Lord  himself  regard 
the  Parents  first.  To  turn  the  hearts  of  such  Parents  to 
such  a  Child  of  Promise  was  not  necessary;  but  how  great 
were  the  benefits  which,  on  entering  into  existence,  he 
must  have  enjoyed  in  such  a  Father  and  Mother !  The 
little  Child  "  grew  and  waxed  strong  in  spirit,  and  was  in 
the  desert  till  the  day  of  his  showing  unto  Israel."  Re- 
ceiving no  education  from  the  Jewish  Scribes,  nor  attend- 
ing on  any  sacerdotal  services  of  the  sanctuary,  with  his 
Parents'  example  before  him,  and  under  their  tuition,  he 
was  prepared  for  his  great  undertaking.  At  last,  John 
being  about  thirty  years  of  age,  quitting  the  hill  country, 
and  coming  down  by  the  wilderness  of  Judea  to  the  plains 
of  Jordan,  the  nation  is  found  in  the  precise  state  glanced 
at  by  the  last  of  the  prophets.  Like  "the  barren  fig-tree," 
to  which  our  Lord  afterward  compared  it,  it  is  "  nigh  unto 
cursing:"  and  in  the  ministry  of  John,  we  see  the  last 
remedy  applied,  before  "smiting  the  land  with  a  curse." 
Out  of  this  nation,  far  gone  as  it  was,  he  was  to  turn  many 
unto  the  Lord  their  God, — "  to  turn  the  heart  of  the  fa- 
thers to  the  children,  the  heart  of  the  children  to  the  fa- 
thers, and  make  ready  a  people  prepared  for  the  Lord." 

In  his  manner  of  proceeding  there  is  something  at  once 
noble  and  awful ;  something  which  draws  at  once  on  our 
fear  and  love.  To  the  hardened  or  hypocritical  character 
of  man,  fully  formed,  he  at  once  addressed  himself,  and, 
grappling  with  the  vain  refuge  of  the  day,  he  says, — 
"  Think  not  to  say  within  yourselves,  we  have  Abraham 
to  our  Father  ;  for  I  say  unto  you,  that  God  is  able  of  these 
stones  to  raise  up  Children  unto  Abraham.  And  now 
also  the  axe  is  laid  to  the  root  of  the  tree  ;  therefore  every 
tree  which  bringeth  not  forth  good  fruit  is  hewn  down 
and  cast  into  the  fire" — is  to  be  changed  into  fuel.  Nor, 
as  though  he  had  said,  think  me  severe,  for  there  cometh 
one  after  me,  who  will  be  severer  still :  "  whose  fan  is  in 


272  THE  MANNER  OF  PROCEDURE 

his  hand,  and  he  will  thoroughly  purge  his  floor,  and 
gather  his  wheat  into  the  garner  ;  but  he  will  bum  up  the 
chaff  with  unquenchable  fire." 

This  extraordinary  man  was  cut  off  by  a  violent  death, 
but  not  in  the  midst  of  his  usefulness,  as  is  often  erro- 
neously said  by  us;  for  no  good  man  is  ever  so  cut  off; 
his  work  was  certainly  done,  though  we  be  surprised  and 
justly  grieved  at  his  unexpected  call.  Before  John  died, 
however,  nay,  long  before  he  was  cast  into  prison,  he 
knew  that  he  had  not  labored  in  vain.  One  day  the  Jews 
informed  him,  not  with  amiable  intentions ;  "  Rabbi,  he 
that  was  with  thee  beyond  Jordan,  to  whom  thou  barest 
witness,  behold  the  same  baptizeth,  and  all  men  come  to 
him."  This  to  the  harbinger  was  glad  tidings  indeed,  as 
appears  by  his  reply,  though  they  could  not  see  its  mean- 
ing. "  He  must  increase,"  said  John,  "  but  I  decrease;" 
and  so  his  ministry  at  last  merged  in  that  of  his  Lord  and 
Master. 

In  describing  the  ministry  of  the  Messiah  and  his  har- 
binger, though  both  were  to  be  employed  in  the  conversion 
of  men,  it  is  worthy  of  notice,  that  neither  Malachi  nor 
the  other  Prophets  describe  them  in  the  same  terms.  The 
merciful  severity,  and  the  grace  of  their  respective  min- 
istries, were,  in  one  sense,  addressed  to  all.  But  that  of 
John  had  to  do  with  the  common  people — the  mass — the 
publicans  and  harlots — the  dregs  of  the  nation.  And 
here  was  the  sink — "  the  rock  and  the  hole  of  the  pit," 
from  whence  the  church,  the  temple  of  Jehovah,  was  to 
be  raised.  But  then,  these  were  led  astray,  and  beguiled 
by  another  class ;  the  sons  of  Levi — the  Scribes — the 
Pharisees,  the  Sadducees  of  the  day.  These  were  in 
reserve  for  Jesus  ;  and  over  them  he  sat  down  in  judgment, 
as  a  refiner  and  purifier  of  silver  does  over  his  furnace. 
The  day  of  vengeance  was  in  his  heart,  and  the  year  of 
his  redeemed  was  come.  To  these  parties  he  drew  near. 


WITH  REGARD  TO  A  FAMILY.  073 

and  was  a  swift  witness  against  them,  after  John,  like 
another  woodman  in  the  forest,  had  laid  his  axe  to  the 
root  of  every  tree.  The  day  was  come,  when  the  proud, 
and  all  that  did  wickedly,  were  like  stubble  :  and  the  day 
had  come,  too,  when  bitter  animosities  and  cursed  selfish- 
ness were  to  give  way  before  the  mighty  agency  of  God's 
own  word.  Yes,  the  day  when,  though  the  springs  of 
social  and  domestic  life  were  poisoned,  the  tender  ties  of 
blood  and  affinity  violated,  all  should  yield  to  the  irresisti- 
ble energy,  the  "fire  and  the  hammer"  of  divine  truth. 
"  The  Law  and  the  Prophets,"  said  Jesus,  "  were  until 
John ;  from  that  time  the  kingdom  of  God  is  preached, 
and  every  one  presseth  into  it."  Oh,  my  reader,  how 
could  it  be  otherwise,  under  preaching  where  the  sense  of 
danger  was  so  produced,  where  the  sense  of  obligation 
was  so  enforced,  and  the  sense  of  advantage  so  held  up 
to  all  1 

Full  well,  indeed,  did  the  Saviour  know  the  degenerate 
state  of  that  nation  at  this  melancholy  period.  So,  when 
he  sent  out  the  twelve,  he  represents  them  as  sent  out  to 
the  human  eye,  defenceless,  and  more  likely  to  be  de- 
voured by  their  countrymen,  than  instrumental  in  their 
conversion.  "  Behold,"  said  he,  "I  send  you  forth,  as 
sheep  in  the  midst  of  wolves"  Yet  did  this  not  prevent 
him  from  addressing  himself,  through  them,  in  the  first 
instance,  and  in  the  most  solemn  manner,  to  the  heads  of 
families.  The  language  is  too  remarkable  not  to  be 
quoted.  "And  into  whatsoever  city  or  town  ye  shall 
enter,  inquire  who  in  it  is  worthy  ;  and  there  abide  till  ye 
go  thence.  And  when  ye  come  into  an  house  salute  it: 
and  if  the  house  be  worthy,  let  your  peace  rest  upon  it : 
but  if  it  be  not  worthy,  let  your  peace  return  to  you." 
When  He  sent  out  seventy  others,  after  the  apostles,  the 
same  method  is  pursued.  "  Into  whatsoever  house  ye 
€nter,  first  say,  Peace  be  to  this  house  :  and  if  a  son  of 


274  THE  MANNER  OF  PROCEDURE 

peace  be  there,  your  peace  shall  rest  upon  it :  if  not,  it 
shall  turn  to  you  again.  And  in  the  same  house  remain, 
eating  and  drinking  such  things  as  they  give ;  for  the 
laborer  is  worthy  of  his  hire.  Go  not  from  house  to 
house." 

Read  the  whole  passage  in  both  cases,  and  then  say 
what  could  be  the  design  of  these  minute  directions,  so 
pointedly  delivered.  Was  not  all  this  just  saying,  in 
effect,  "  In  this  nation  apostacy  hath  intervened,  but  an 
interest  in  it,  for  God,  I  will  raise  up  notwithstanding? 
Yes,  my  object  is  to  raise  up,  within  every  city  or  town 
where  you  go  in  some  one  family,  at  least,  an  interest  for 
myself.  A  welcome,  and  nothing  more,  I  ask.  There, 
shake  yourself  free  of  every  encumbrance, — exercise 
self-denial, — change  not  your  abode  on  account  of  any 
personal  inconvenience  whatever, — interest,  if  possible, 
at  least  the  whole  of  that  one  family  in  my  approach,  and 
show  to  all  that  you  have  one,  and  but  this  one,  object  at 
heart:  and  as  you  are  going  into  every  city  and  place,  to 
which  I  myself  will  follow,  secure  for  me  an  entrance  at 
least  into  some  one  solitary  family,  and  even  in  a  city,  at 
first,  I  ask  no  more !  Thither  I  myself  will  come,  and 
finding  your  peace  resting  upon  it;  that  peace  assuredly 
shall  not  decline." 

These,  no  doubt,  were  only  preparatory  measures;  but 
the  line  of  operation  is  in  perfect  harmony  with  all  that 
has  been  advanced ;  and  as  preparatory,  they  show  how 
he  proposed  to  pierce  into  the  corruption  of  a  nation,  and 
take  out  of  it,  a  people  for  his  name. 

Here,  however,  let  us  pause  a  moment,  and  observe 
what  a  gloomy,  what  an  appalling  prospect  presented  itself 
to  our  Redeemer,  in  such  a  land,  and  at  such  a  time ! 
Obstacles  of  the  most  formidable  character  he  had  full  in 
view.  The  domestic  constitution  itself,  as  well  as  the 
Mosaic  economy,  both  of  divine  appointment ;  the  latter 


WITH  REGARD  TO  A  FAMILY.  975 

temporary,  but  the  former  of  more  ancient  obligation,  and 
never  to  be  dissolved  ;  as  then  corrupted  and  abused,  he 
saw  standing  in  his  way.  Yet  did  the  Messiah  propose 
to  raise  up  in  the  very  heart  of  Judaism,  and  in  the 
bosom  of  the  Jewish  family  too,  an  interest  for  himself,  an 
interest  for  God.  The  whole  family,  both  old  and  young, 
Parents  and  Children,  were  invited  arid  entreated  to  sub- 
mit, but  one  individual  only  in  that  family  might  accept 
the  boon  !  This  the  Redeemer  foresaw,  and  for  such  an 
event  he  made  provision.  It  was  a  strong  case, — it  might 
surprise  the  disciples, — it  might  shake  the  resolution  of 
the  convert  himself, — but,  when  the  genius  and  design  of 
the  domestic  constitution  are  regarded,  no  language  could 
more  powerfully  have  explained  to  us  the  paramount  im- 
portance of  his  cause  and  claims,  than  that  which  the 
Saviour  employed.  ''Think  not,"  said  he,  "that  I  am 
come  to  send  peace  on  earth :  I  came  not  to  send  peace, 
but  a  sword.  For  I  am  come  to  set  a  man  at  variance 
against  his  father,  and  the  daughter  against  her  mother, 
and  the  daughter-in-law  against  her  mother-in-law  :  and  a 
man's  foes  shall  be  they  of  his  own  household.  He  that 
loveth  father  or  mother  more  than  me  is  not  worthy  of  me: 
and  he  that  loveth  son  or  daughter  more  than  me  is  not 
worthy  of  me."  As  though  the  Redeemer  had  said, — "  If 
it  must  come  to  this,  whether  I  or  the  dearest  earthly 
connections  are  to  be  followed  and  obeyed,  then,  in  all 
cases,  there  is  no  alternative  ;  and  be  not  discouraged, 
even  for  this  most  trying  sacrifice,  I  can,  and  I  will,  make 
ample  amends." — "  Every  one  who  hath  left  houses,  or 
brethren,  or  sisters,  or  father,  or  mother,  or  wife,  or  chil- 
dren, or  lands,  for  my  sake,  shall  receive  an  hundred  fold, 
and  shall  inherit  everlasting  life."  Language  could  not 
convey  more  strongly,  the  peculiar  distinction  between 
the  Jewish  dispensation,  and  the  kingdom  now  setting  up 
by  the  God  of  heaven.  Under  the  former,  for  wise  and 


276  THE  MANNER  OF  PROCEDURE 

important  reasons,  the  family  constitution  could  not  be 
invaded,  much  less  broken  up  with  impunity  :  but  now 
that  the  Messiah  himself  hath  come,  the  seed  to  whom 
the  promises  were  made,  if  it  must  be  so,  then  it  seems  it 
might  be,  and  with  great  personal  advantage  :  an  hundred 
fold,  even  in  this  life,  of  abounding  consolation,  when 
such  great  sacrifices  were  made,  and  great  trials  endured, 
and  in  the  world  to  come,  life  everlasting. 

This  virulence  of  persecution,  however,  might,  and 
actually  did,  spend  its  force ;  yet  the  same  thing  might 
happen :  a  single  branch,  a  Father  or  Mother  only,  in  a 
single  family,  might  be  converted  to  Christianity,  and  if 
persecution  was  not  carried  to  extremity,  the  path  of  duty 
should  be  pointed  out, — and,  in  the  progress  of  divine 
revelation,  so  it  is.  Under  the  Jewish  economy,  the  Man, 
with  all  his  Family,  must  conform,  or  the  Man,  with  alt 
his  Family,  be  expelled,  nay,  in  case  of  resistance  or 
non-compliance,  his  very  substance  must  be  forfeited,  as 
well  as  himself  separated  from  the  congregation.  Ezra 
x.  3  and  8.  But  now,  "  as  in  Christ  Jesus,  neither  cir- 
cumcision availed  any  thing,  nor  uncircumcision,  but  a 
new  creature,"  or  the  keeping  of  the  commandments  of 
God ;  so  the  Husband  might  be  received  into  the  house- 
hold of  faith,  though  his  Wife  should  not,  would  not 
follow,  or  the  reverse.  In  such  case,  however,  the  strong 
natural  tie  of  God's  own  institution,  far  from  being  vio- 
lated, might,  through  the  kind  and  gracious  and  plastic 
power  of  Christianity,  be  turned  to  great  account.  "  If 
any  brother  hath  a  Wife  that  believeth  not,  and  she  be 
pleased  to  dwell  with  him,  let  him  not  put  her  away:  and 
the  Woman  which  hath  an  Husband  that  believeth  not, 
and  if  he  be  pleased  to  dwell  with  her,  let  her  not  leave 
him.  For  the  unbelieving  Husband  is  sanctified  by  or  in 
the  Wife,  and  the  unbelieving  Wife  is  sanctified  by  or  in 
the  Husband :  else  were  your  Children  unclean  ;  but  now 


WITH  REGARD  TO  A  FAMILY.  277 

are  they  holy.  But  if  the  unbelieving  depart,  let  him 
depart.  A  Brother  or  a  Sister  is  not  under  bondage  in 
such  cases :  but  God  hath  called  us  to  peace ;  for  what 
knowest  thou,  O  Wife,  whether  thou  shalt  save  thy  Hus- 
band ?  or  how  knowest  thou,  O  Man,  whether  thou  shalt 
save  thy  Wife?" 

Could  any  language  be  more  explicit,  and  satisfactory, 
or  consoling,  or  discover  a  more  tender  regard  for  the 
domestic  circle  ?  Thus  the  best  interests  of  the  Children 
were  secured,  by  the  continuation  of  the  marriage-con- 
tract, while  the  delightful  prospect  is  held  out,  of  the 
Husband  or  Wife  being  the  instrument,  in  the  hands  of 
a  gracious  God,  of  saving-  the  other.  Under  the  Jewish 
economy  such  an  arrangement  was  impossible,  "but  now" 
it  is  otherwise ;  and  hence  the  enlargement  of  privilege 
here  announced.  Once  on  a  time,  the  Children  of  the 
Jewish  Parent  were  to  be  cast  out,  and  even  the  Wife 
separated;  nor  was  there  "hope  in  Israel  concerning  this 
thing,"  but  upon  the  trying  supposition  of  such  a  separa- 
tion. "Now,  therefore,"  said  they,  "let  us  make  a  cove- 
nant with  our  God  to  put  away  all  the  Wives,  and  such  as 
are  born  of  them,  according  to  the  counsel  of  my  Lord 
(Ezra), 'and  of  those  that  tremble  at  the  commandment 
of  our  God ;  and  let  it  be  done  according  to  the  law. 
Arise ;  for  this  matter  belongeth  unto  thee :  we  also  will 
be  with  thee :  be  of  good  courage,  and  do  it."  What  a 
severe  trial  must  this  have  been !  Still  it  was  then  im- 
periously necessary  :  but  now — the  Wife  may,  nay,  if  she 
is  so  disposed,  must,  remain,  and  all  the  benefits  of  this 
Christian  economy  may  descend  on  the  whole  family,%in 
consequence  of  the  piety  and  prayers,  the  consistent  con- 
duct and  assiduous  endeavors,  of  only  one  Parent ! 

To  return,  however,  to  the  actual  operations  of  the 
Messiah  and  his  forerunner.     Much,  I  know,  has  been 
said  of  the  non-success  of  Jesus  and  of  John,  but  the 
24 


278  THE  MANNER  OF  PROCEDURE 

event  proved  that  this  was  only  apparent.  The  truth  is, 
that  both  were  employed  about  foundation  work,  and 
about  such  a  foundation !  "  Other  Men,"  said  Jesus, 
"  have  labored,  and  ye  are  entered  into  their  labors."  In 
these  words,  especial  reference  was  had  to  himself,  and 
perhaps  to  John  ;  but  this  was  his  divinely  humble  man- 
ner of  making  such  reference. 

Even  in  the  days  of  the  Redeemer,  however,  we  have 
proofs,  all  in  character,  of  the  faithful,  and  laborious,  and 
well-directed  labors  of  John,  now  gone  to  his  reward,  as 
well  as  of  Jesus,  now  on  the  way  to  his.     Corrupt  and 
evil  as  the  times  were,  parental  feeling,  at  least,  is  seen  in 
most  affecting  display ;    nay,  it  seems  as  if  it  were  the 
only  cord  in  the  human   heart  which  responded  to  the 
touch  of  Jesus ;  and,  when  reading  the  evangelical  his- 
tory, we  are  often  left  to  repose  on  it  alone,  as  the  surest 
hope  and  symptom  of  a  better  day.     Here,  the  Parents 
intercede  for  their  child — one  comes  on  behalf  of  his  only 
son,  and  another  on  behalf  of  her  only  daughter !     Nor 
is  it  individuals  only,  who  press  round  the  adorable  Re- 
deemer :  there,  in  company,  the  very  Women  bring  their 
Children  to  him  to  be  blest.     He  takes  them  up  in  his 
arms,  lays  his  hand  upon  them,  and  blesses  them,  after 
having  uttered  these  most  gracious  and  delightful  words, 
which,  since  he  spake,  have  gladdened  the  heart  of  mil- 
lions of  Christian  Parents :  "  Suffer  the  little  Children  to 
come  unto  me,  and  forbid  them  not,  for  of  such  is  the 
kingdom   of    heaven."     In    a   word,  in  the   evangelical 
history,  among  all  the  travels  of  our  blessed  Lord,  ex- 
cepting only  one  instance,  the  strongest  faith  with  which 
he '  met  was  the  faith  of  Parents,  and  two  cases  in  par- 
ticular are  most  eminent.     The  one  a  Mother,  the  other 
a  Father.     The  one  a  Jew,  a  ruler  of  the  synagogue,  and 
the  other  a  solitary  descendant  of  Canaan's  devoted  race. 
The  Jewish  Parent  believed  that  his  Child  might  be  even 


WITH  REGARD  TO  A  FAMILY. 

raised  from  the  dead,  and  therefore,  with  his  partner  in 
life,  was  present  when  this  was  done  :  and  to  the  other, 
the  Saviour  could  not,  and  at  last  would  not,  by  any 
means,  suppress  the  utterance,  even  of  his  admiration. 
"  Oh,  Woman,"  said  he,  "  great  is  thy  faith  ! "  At  other 
times  we  see  him  take  a  single  branch  of  a  single  family, 
and  turn  it  to  great  account.  The  demoniac  beyond  the 
sea  of  Galilee,  who  had  not  only  been  the  grief  of  his 
family,  but  the  terror  of  the  neighborhood,  would  have 
left  all  and  followed  the  Saviour,  when  He  was  entreated 
to  depart  out  of  their  coasts.  "  Howbeit  Jesus  suffered 
him  not,  but  said  :  Go  home,  and  tell  thy  friends  how 
great  things  the  Lord  hath  done  for  thee,  and  hath  had 
compassion  upon  thee."  He  did  so ;  and  by  the  next 
time  that  his  heavenly  Physician  visited  those  parts,  this 
grateful  patient  had  made  room  for  him.  Far  from  be- 
seeching Jesus  to  depart,  the  whole  country  was  moved 
with  one  accord, — those  in  health  carrying  to  him  those 
in  sickness ;  and  the  sick  persuaded,  that,  if  they  might 
but  reach  the  hem  of  his  garment,  all  would  yet  be  well. 
Nor  were  they  disappointed,  for  "  as  many  as  touched 
him,  were  made  perfectly  whole."* 

Nor  was  it  only  in  the  days  of  the  Messiah  himself 
that  we  see  this  prophecy  of  Malachi  fulfilled  in  character. 
Hence,  among  the  deeds  of  the  apostles,  we  find  recorded 
the  interesting  cases  of  "  Lydia  and  her  household  " — of 
"  the  Philippian  jailor  and  his  house  " — and  the  "  house- 
hold of  Stephanas."  All  these  were  the  heads  of  fami- 
lies, and  in  these  fine  cases,  too,  we  see  both  members  of 
this  prophetic  declaration  fully  and  literally  accomplished. 
The  hearts  of  the  Fathers  are  turned  to  their  Children, 
and  the  hearts  of  the  Children  are  turned  to  their  Fathers; 
and  the  Parents  rejoiced,  as  well  they  might,  "  believing 
in  the  Lord  with  all  their  house ! " 

*  Mark  v.  1—20,  and  vii.  31—37;  Matt.  xv.  29— 3L 


280  THE  MANNER  OF  PROCEDURE 

The  answer  of  Paul  to  one  of  these  Parents  is  particu- 
larly worthy  of  notice.  The  jailor,  awakened  and  con- 
vinced of  his  danger  and  his  guilt,  had  asked  with  great 
earnestness  of  spirit :  "What  shall  I  do  to  be  saved  ?" 
when  the  apostle  as  earnestly  replied :  "  Believe  on  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  and  thou  shalt  be  saved,  and  thy  house" 
— and  thy  house !  Neither  Paul  nor  Silas  could  intend 
to  intimate  that  his  faith  could  save  them ;  or,  let  his  faith 
be  as  strong  ,as  it  might,  that  it  could  carry  all  or  any 
under  his  roof  to  heaven  along  with  him.  They  must, 
however,  have  meant  something ;  nay,  something  to  him, 
next  in  importance  to  his  own  salvation,  and  even  more 
than  this.  Taking  advantage  of  the  Parental  heart,  now 
broken  down  and  tender,  through  conviction  and  guilt, 
they  suggested  at  once  that  all  under  his  roof  stood  in 
equal  danger  with  himself,  and  in  equal  need  of  salvation — 
that  all  required  to  be  saved  in  the  same  way — that,  if  he 
attached  any  importance  to  his  present  awakened  state  of 
mind,  he  should  feel  correspondingly  for  every  branch  of 
his  family,  who  had  suffered  greatly  under  his  past  ex- 
ample, and  for  whose  souls  he  always  had  been,  but  was 
now  much  more,  responsible  :  nay,  in  these  few  expressive 
words,  uttered  at  such  a  time,  and  in  such  a  connection, 
the  high  vantage  ground  on  which  the  Christian  Parent 
stands  is  pointed  out.  If  Christianity  laid  deep  hold  of 
him,  and  if  means  were  used  by  him  in  faith,  like  the  con- 
secrated oil  poured  on  the  head  of  Aaron,  which  went 
down  to  the  skirts  of  his  garment,  so  in  perfect  consonance 
with  the  personal  confidence  in  Jesus  now  demanded  of 
himself,  and  the  rich  grace  to  be  thus  bestowed,  this 
grace  through  him,  as  an  instrument,  might  descend  to  all 
at  home.  Such  an  opportunity,  however,  after  such  an 
intimation,  was  not  to  be  lost  by  the  jailor.  To  every 
word  of  their  reply  he  had  paid  marked  attention,  and  his 
faith,  in  these  few  concluding  words,  appears  very  conspic^ 


WITH  REGARD  TO  A  FAMILY.  281 

uous  from  his  conduct.  Not  a  moment  was  lost ;  he  gave 
Paul  and  Silas  an  immediate  opportunity  ;  "  and  they 
spake  unto  him  the  word  of  the  Lord,"  and  not  to  him 
only,  but  "  to  all  that  were  in  his  house  ; "  the  wonderful 
effect  we  have  already  remarked — "  He  believed,  with  all 
his  house  I " 

Let  it  not,  therefore,  be  imagined  that  it  was  upon 
Jewish  families  only  that  such  rich  mercy  descended,  or 
that  this  grace  was  merely  in  consonance  with  some  pecu- 
liarity in  the  Old  Testament  dispensation.  The  cases 
already  adduced  refute  this  idea,  and  others  might  be 
mentioned.  Look  at  the  first  streak  of  day,  which  gilded 
the  horizon  of  the  Gentile  world.  Upon  opening  the  door 
of  faith  to  us,  the  Gentiles,  it  is  remarkable  that  we  are 
at  once  ushered  into  the  bosom  of  a  most  delightful  family, 
and  that  a  whole  chapter  of  the  Acts  is  employed  in  de- 
scribing the  scene.  "  Cornelius  was  a  devout  man,  and 
one  that  feared  God,  with  all  his  house,  which  gave 
much  alms  to  the  people,  and  prayed  to  God  alway." 

In  the  days  of  Cornelius,  the  obstacle  which  seemed 
insuperable,  consisted  in  a  deep  Jewish  prejudice,  affect- 
ing even  the  apostles,  against  the  extension  of  Christianity 
and  all  its  blessings  to  the  heathen :  in  modern  times  the 
obstacle  to  its  extension,  which  also  seemed  insuperable, 
consisted  in  a  prejudice,  as  deep,  on  the  part  of  the  hea- 
then themselves  ;  yet  in  this  case  also,  the  Almighty  con- 
descended to  enter  by  the  door  of  a  single  Family,  or 
household.  As  he  did  by  Cornelius  at  Cesarea  in  Pales- 
tine, so  he  has  done,  in  our  day,  when  breaking  the  chain 
of  the  cast  in  India.  Yes,  a  departed  friend,  and  old  cor- 
respondent, so  deservedly  dear  to  me,  who,  before  his 
death  visited  this  country  from  India,  Mr.  Ward  of  Se- 
rampore,  may  be  remembered  by  some  of  my  readers,  as 
having  furnished  this  affecting  modern  instance,  explana- 
tory and  confirmatory,  too,  of  the  method  laid  down  by 
24* 


282        THE  MANNER  OF  PROCEDURE 

the  Messiah  in  his  instructions  to  the  twelve  and  the 
seventy.  After  his  faith  had  long  been  tried,  walking  one 
evening  on  the  banks  of  the  Ganges  with  Dr.  Marshman, — 
"Oh,"  said  he,  "  that  God  would  give  us  but  one  family, 
into  which  we  could  go  and  sit  down,  and  converse  about 
the  things  of  God."  At  last  He  mercifully  was  pleased  to 
do  so.  He  gave  them  Kristno  Pal,  and  all  under  his  roof! 
At  this  the  missionaries  were  greatly  affected,  and  no 
wonder,  after  their  faith  and  patience  had  been  tried  so 
long.  "  This  household  of  Kristno,"  said  Brunsdon,  then 
on  the  borders  of  the  grave,  "  this  household  of  Kristno 
gives  us  great  pleasure."  "  It  is  truly  pleasant,"  said 
Ward,  "  to  be  surrounded  by  Kristno  and  his  Children," 
— "  a  whole  Family  desiring  to  hear  the  gospel,  and  de- 
claring in  favor  of  it!  "  On  the  same  evening  this  Man, 
his  Wife,  and  her  Sister,  living  with  them,  had  declared 
their  attachment  to  the  Saviour ;  but,  as  it  was  from  the 
beginning,  the  whole  family  became  the  objects  of  bitter 
persecution.  By  violence  and  stratagem  the  eldest  of  his 
three  daughters  was  afterwards  hurried  away  and  carried 
off,  when  the  other  two  were  known  to  retire  and  pray  for 
their  Sister's  deliverance  and  their  own  salvation.  One 
of  these,  the  youngest,  a  little  girl  of  only  seven  years  old, 
when  earnestly  desiring  to  be  baptized,  said,  "  I  am  but 
a  little  child,  but  my  soul  is  not  little,  and  I  have  heard 
that,  in  Europe,  Children  of  five  years  old  have  been 
saved."  In  a  word,  Kristno,  his  wife,  his  wife's  sister, 
and  ultimately  three  daughters,  two  sons-in-law  (one  of 
these  the  first  converted  Brahmin),  with  a  widow  residing 
under  his  roof,  and  a  daughter  of  hers,  were  added  to  the 
Church  at  Serampore.  So  that,  in  reference  to  this  mis- 
sion, one  might  say  :  "  Ye  know  the  household  of  Kristno, 
that  they  are  among  the  first  fruits  of  India  unto  God,  and 
that  they  have  addicted  themselves  to  the  ministry  of  the 
saints ; "  since  of  the  three  men  in  it,  the  Father  built  a 


WITH  REGARD  TO  A  FAMILY.        283 

chapel  at  his  own  expense,  near  to  his  own  dwelling,  and, 
being  ordained  to  the  ministry,  preached  throughout  Ben- 
gal for  twenty  years,  and  the  son-in-law,  Kristno  Presaud, 
though  he  fell  early  in  the  cause,  was  one  of  the  most  able 
and  amiable  of  Bengalee  preachers. 

Thus,  Kristno,  the  first  man  who  broke  cast,  was  a 
Parent,  and  in  a  country  where  the  heart  is  so  ossified  or 
rather  steeled  by  idolatry,  it  remained  for  vital  Chris- 
tianity thus  to  open  in  it,  even  there,  a  fountain  of  tender- 
ness. This  very  man,  who,  if  he  had  remained  an  idola- 
ter, would  have  left  his  countrymen  to  perish,  was  many  a 
day  heard  to  entreat  them  with  the  greatest  warmth  :  the 
man,  who,  if  an  idolater,  might  have  thrown  his  offspring 
into  the  Ganges,  was  seen  weeping  over  his  own  little 
grandchild,  who  died  also  in  the  faith,  and  went  before 
him  to  glory.  This  was  the  same  man,  who  said,  when 
he  was  just  about  to  expire  :  "  I  love  my  Saviour,  though 
not  as  he  loves  me. — I  find  his  promise  good,  '  I  will  not 
leave  you  comfortless.' — I  have  no  fear  in  death. — My 
only  wishes  are,  that  /  and  my  Family  may  be  his  ;  that 
all  I  have  may  be  devoted  to  him  ;  and  that  I  may  depart 
and  be  with  Christ,  which  is  far  better." 

Indeed,  the  history  of  this  mission,  is  the  more  remark- 
able, as  affording  an  evidence  of  God's  special  regard  to 
the  Family  Constitution  ;  since  the  god  of  this  world, 
availing  himself  of  the  peculiar  genius  of  the  Hindoo  su- 
perstition, had  applied  it  to  all  the  ties  of  nature,  and 
linking  together  the  branches  of  a  household  by  the  chain, 
of  the  cast,  he  had  then, retired  to  the  centre  or  bosom  of 
every  family  circle,  and  there  he  had  thrown  up  his 
strongest  entrenchment.  Yet,  taking  as  a  specimen  the 
very  first  one  hundred  and  fifty  individuals  who  renounced 
cast  and  professed  Christianity,  we  find  not  fewer  than 
sixty-four  individuals,  at  least,  who  came  out  of  only 
twenty-five  families,  and,  except  in  two  or  three  instances, 


234  THE  MANNER  OF  PROCEDURE 

both  Father  and  Mother  were  amongst  the  number.  Nay, 
out  of  only  six  families  there  were  twenty-six  individuals, 
Parents  and  Children,  old  and  young.  The  most  remark- 
able of  these,  certainly,  was  that  of  this  fine  character, 
Kristno  Pal — a  household,  including  himself,  of  not  less 
than  ten  souls  !  A  particular  list  of  the  hundreds  who 
have  been  since  converted,  is  not  upon  record,  but  the 
same  gracious  regard  to  the  Family  Constitution  still  is 
manifest.  "  I  cannot  conclude,"  says  one  of  the  mis- 
sionaries, in  1824,  "  without  telling  you,  that  this  morning 
I  have  seen  a  whole  family  of  natives,  consisting  of  Grand- 
father, Father,  Mother,  and  three  Sons,  all  evidently  seek- 
ing the  way  of  salvation.  They  were  first  aroused  to  a 
sense  of  their  condition  by  a  tract  left  at  the  house  of  a 
neighbor,  which  he  threw  indignantly  into  the  road,  and 
one  of  the  boys,  about  fifteen  years  of  age,  carried  it 
home.  They  read  it — came  for  more — I  gave  them  the 
four  gospels — and  I  do  hope  that  time  will  show  it  has 
not  been  in  vain." 

Thus,  certainly,  to  a  remarkable  extent  has  the  Al- 
mighty delighted  to  pour  honor  upon  a  constitution  of  his 
own  creation,  and  his  grace,  in  every  age,  where  Parents 
are  worth  the  name,  will,  I  am  persuaded,  be  found  to  run 
in  such  a  channel.  Yes ;  upon  households  as  such, 
primitive  Christianity  beamed  with  peculiar  benignity; 
but  was  there  not  a  cause  1  Yes,  had  we  stronger  faith, 
it  might,  and  without  doubt,  the  day  is  coming  when  it 
will,  do  so  again  ! 

The  interesting,  the  delightful  accounts,  however,  of 
whole  households  being  converted  in  a  single  day  or  hour, 
which  are  left  upon  record  in  Scripture,  to  excite  our  de- 
sire after  similar  results,  are  to  be  accounted  for  only  on 
the  supposition  of  an  extensive  and  powerful  awakening 
of  the  public  mind ;  and  they  stand  there  in  peculiar  har- 
mony, or  "  fine  keeping,"  with  the  authentic,  because 


WITH  REGARD  TO  A  FAMILY.  285 

inspired,  narrative  of  hundreds,  nay,  thousands,  being 
converted  under  a  single  address.  The  same  result, 
however,  let  it  be  remembered,  as  to  families  in  succeed- 
ing ages,  has  been  found  to  hold  good,  proportionally  to 
the  extent  or  the  intensity  of  the  awakening.  Of  such 
results,  even  in  our  own  day,  America,  at  least,  is  able  to 
furnish  striking  instances,  proof  of  which  I  have  now 
before  me,  in  the  periodical  accounts  from  that  country. 

After  such  a  detail  as  this,  imperfect  though  it  be,  there 
can  remain  no  doubt  of  the  prophecy  of  Malachi  having 
been  literally  accomplished.  But,  with  the  Sacred  nar- 
rative in  our  hand,  it  would  be  strange  were  we  to  confine 
it  to  even  instances  like  these ;  or  suppose  that  single 
Families,  here  and  there,  though  converted  at  once  to 
Christianity,  were  all  that  the  Prophet  expressed,  or  the 
Spirit  of  God  by  him  intended.  No ;  the  apostolic  address 
took  the  widest  range,  and  it  met  with  correspondent 
effects,  but  still  the  same  principle  they  always  kept  in 
view.  Thus,  to  the  three  thousand  Jews  in  the  city  of 
Jerusalem,  converted  in  one  day,  on  the  same  spot,  under 
a  single  address,  and  relieved  at  the  same  instant  by  one 
and  the  same  reply  ;  when  they  cried  out  in  an  agony  of 
distraction,  "  Men  and  brethren,  what  shall  we  do  ?  "  we 
hear  the  conscience  and  the  parental  heart  at  once  ad- 
dressed by  Peter, — "  Repent,  and  be  baptized,  every  one 
of  you,  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ,  for  the  remission  of 
sins,  and  ye  shall  receive  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit ;  for 
the  promise  (of  the  Holy  Spirit,  v.  17  ami  33.)  is  to  you, 
and  to  your  children,  and  to  all  that  are  afar  off,  even  as 
many  as  the  Lord  our  God  shall  call."  The  promise  to 
which  Peter  here  refers  was,  of  course,  that  which  he  had 
just  quoted ;  where  the  manner  in  which  "  they  and  their 
Children"  had  been  referred  to  by  Joel,  was  peculiarly 
striking.  Their  sons— their  daughters — their  old  men— 
their  young  men — their  servants  and  hand-maidens,  many 


286         THE  MANNER  OF  PROCEDURE 

of  whom  were  even  in  a  state  of  vassalage,  were  all  to 
partake  of  the  Spirit ;  and,  as  a  proof,  not  only  were  to 
believe  and  be  saved,  but  individuals  of  every  class  men- 
tioned were  to  prophesy  or  work  miracles !  So  this  Spirit 
had  descended  first  on  the  Parents  of  John  the  Baptist, 
and  the  Messiah,  and  afterwards  upon  them ;  on  the 
Parents  of  most  of  the  apostles,  if  not  all,  as  well  as  on 
them ;  and  so  now  on  the  Parents,  the  Sons,  the  Daughters, 
the  servants,  in  the  city  of  Jerusalem ;  and  ultimately, 
through  them,  on  the  Gentiles.  This  order  should  never 
be  overlooked ;  and  more  especially  on  account  of  the 
interesting  terms  with  which  Peter  concludes  his  address : 
— "  Even  as  many  as  the  Lord  our  God  shall  call."  From 
these  words  it  would  seem  that  the  entire  fulfilment  of 
that  prophecy  is  not  to  be  confined  by  time  or  space. 
Excepting,  of  course,  the  miraculous  gifts,  the  proof  at 
that  period,  of  the  Holy  Spirit  being  received;  as  a  min- 
ister of  Christ,  I  am  to  use  such  language  at  this  day, 
because  all  that  was  intended  by  Infinite  Wisdom  is  not 
yet  fulfilled ;  no,  nor  never  will  be,  until  God  hath  done 
with  calling. 

In  conformity  with  these  ideas,  in  the  still  more  glorious 
effusion  of  the  Spirit  for  which  the  Church  is  waiting,  so 
far  as  the  Jews  are  concerned,  the  terms  employed  are,  to 
say  the  least,  of  the  same  character  with  those  to  which 
reference  has  been  so  often  made.  When  the  Spirit  of 
grace  and  supplication  is  once  poured  out  upon  them, 
Husband  and  Wife,  Parents  and  Children,  looking  to  the 
cross  at  last,  like  as  a  Father  on  the  dying  frame  of  his 
jirst-born,  or  his  only  Child,  all  shall  be  drowned  in  grief. 
"  The  land  shall  mourn,  every  family  apart — all  the  faniN 
lies  that  remain ;  every  family  apart,  and  their  wives 
apart."  In  proportion  as  penitence  is  deep  and  pungent, 
it  seeks  retirement ;  but  here  it  has  gone  to  such  extent 
as  to  sever  for  a  time  the  strongest,  tenderest,  and  most 


WITH  REGARD  TO  A  FAMILY.  287 

confidential  bond  of  nature.     "Every  family  apart,   and 
their  Wives  apart !  " 

If  the  reader  will  now  turn  to  the  twelfth  chapter  of 
Zechariah,  he  will  see  what  is  immediately  to  follow  this 
great  mourning.  The  fountain  opened  for  sin  and  un- 
cleanness,  to  the  eyes  of  these  Parents  is  now  opened 
indeed.  Satisfied  now  that  there  is  no  other  Messiah  than 
Jesus  of  Nazareth,  they  become  most  jealous  for  the 
honor  of  his  name  and  worship  :  the  ancient  and  prevalent 
plague  of  the  Church — idolatry,  is  extinct ;  the  very 
names  of  Jupiter  and  Baal,  of  the  Pope  and  Mohammed, 
are  repeated  or  remembered  no  more  ;  and  even  anti- 
christian  abominations  have  passed  away  (v.  2.)  Satisfied, 
too,  that  the  Volume  of  Inspiration  is  completed,  as  we 
now  have  it;  that  no  more  messages  from  Heaven  are 
to  be  expected,  nor  any  more  necessary ;  nay,  that  the 
smallest  addition  is  profanity  of  the  highest  order:  "it 
shall  come  to  pass,  that  when  any  shall  yet  prophesy,  then 
his  Father  and  his  Mother  that  begat  him  shall  say  unto 
him,  Thou  shalt  not  live,  for  thou  speakest  lies  to  us  in 
the  name  of  the  Lord  :  and  his  Father  and  Mother  that 
begat  him  shall  thrust  him  through,  when  he  prophesieth." 
This  deep  penitence,  then,  ending,  as  it  will  do,  in  a  piety 
and  in  a  holy  jealousy  for  God;  such  as  perhaps  the 
Christian  Church  has  never  yet  witnessed ;  when  the 
guardians  of  this  distinguished  piety  and  penitence  are 
introduced  to  us,  we  see  these  are  spoken  of  as  Parents, 
alluding,  it  is  true,  to  the  power  of  the  Parent  then  exist- 
ing under  the  Mosaic  economy. 

Thus  when  the  Spirit  of  God  would  describe  to  us  the 
depth  of  penitence  and  the  height  of  Christian  zeal,  or 
denote  the  prompt  and  vigorous  measures,  even  the  glory 
of  the  latter  day,  it  seems  as  if  more  energetic  terms 
could  not  be  found,  than  those  which  are  drawn  from  the 


288  THE  MANNER  OF  PROCEDURE 

Domestic  Constitution,  and  its  powerful  natural   attach- 
ments.* 

What  then  is  the  amount  of  all  this  survey?  After  so 
much  evidence  has  been  adduced  from  Scripture,  can 
nothing  be  founded  upon  it  1  Are  we,  in  no  respect,  to 
be  influenced  or  guided  by  it,  when  endeavoring  to  re- 
store the  human  Family  to  its  healthful  and  vigorous  con- 
dition ?  Does  not  all  this  show,  whatever  some  persons 
may  say,  that  our  first  and  strongest  hope  should  rest  on 
the  Parents  of  a  Family,  and  that  to  them  Christianity 
directs  her  counsels  and  warnings,  immediately  and  di- 
rectly ?  Far  gone  they  may  be  on  the  road  to  ruin,  but 
for  their  ear  and  their  conscience,  we  are  furnished  in 
Scripture  with  many  serious,  and  tender,  and  awful  argu- 
ments. Surely  these,  if  used  by  us  in  faith,  with  con- 
stancy and  patient  perseverance,  are  able  to  turn  them 
from  darkness  to  light,  and  from  the  power  of  Satan  unto 
God  ?  If,  however,  as  Parents,  and  because  they  may  be 
confirmed  in  evil  habits,  we  regard  them  with  a  hopeless 
eye ;  or  if  aiming  too  low,  we  aim  merely  at  amelioration 

*  What  a  striking-  contrast  is  there  between  these  two  effusions 
of  the  Spirit,  so  far  as  the  Jews  are  concerned,  between  the  pro- 
phecy of  Joel  and  that  of  Zechariah  ?  In  the  former  case,  Parents 
and  Children,  Sons  and  Daughters,  and  Servants,  were  endowed, 
and  prophesied;  but  now  Revelation  is  complete,  and  so  complete, 
that  the  Parents,  as  guardians,  are  thus  represented.  Is  not  this 
one  proof,  at  least,  that  miraculous  and  prophetic  gifts  are  not  to  be 
revived  or  employed  in  the  last  grand  triumph  of  Christianity  ? 
No;  the  Bible,  as  it  is,  is  so  full  and  so  perfect,  that,  as  far  as  its 
instrumentality  is  concerned,  it  will  introduce  the  Millennium. 
Over  Judaism  and  the  Scriptures  containing  it,  the  Jews  have 
watched  for  ages.  To  them  were  committed  the  Oracles  of  God ; 
and  during  their  sad  and  long  apostacy,  they  have  never  ceased 
to  discover  even  a  superstitious  veneration  for  the  Scriptures  of  the 
Old  Testament  j  but,  then,  of  both  Old  and  New  they  will  be  the 
enlightened  guardians ;  and  then,  too,  it  seems,  as  jealous  of  any 
addition,  as  they  are  now  anxiously  ajid  vainly  waiting  for  one ! 
even  that  which  we  possess. 


WITH  REGARD  TO  A  FAMILY.  289 

and  the  reformation  of  manners,  and  not  at  their  conver- 
sion, what  wonder  if  we  give  them  up  in  despair  ? 

On  the  other  hand,  for  such  a  mode  of  procedure  as 
that  which  has  been  recommended,  to  say  nothing  more 
of  the  remarkable  success  which  has  attended  it,  there  is 
one  reason  deeply  founded  in  the  constitution  of  every 
nation.  By  the  law  of  nature  and  of  God,  by  far  the 
largest  proportion,  in  every  land,  are  enjoined  to  honor 
the  rest ;  the  whole  Children,  the  whole  Parents.  Now, 
as  Christianity  in  its  addresses  pays  regard  to  this  ar- 
rangement, in  every  attempt  to  restore  the  families  of  a 
country,  let  us  also  regard  it.  On  Parents,  as  such,  the 
eye  of  our  omniscient  and  final  Judge  is  now  manifestly 
resting:  let  our  eye  follow  in  the  same  direction.  On 
them,  and  not  on  the  legislator,  or  the  benevolent  public, 
does  he  lay  the  highest  responsibility,  and  on  them  alone  : 
let  us  also  go  and  do  likewise.  Let  nothing  be  done  by 
us  to  weaken  the  force  or  tone  of  their  obligations,  noth- 
ing to  render  them  easy  and  satisfied  under  neglect.  On 
the  contrary,  let  every  Christian,  so  far  as  his  influence 
can  extend,  contribute  his  mite,  to  bind  this  sense  of  obli- 
gation on  the  shoulders  of  those,  upon  whom  God,  in  his 
wisdom  and  mercy  to  mankind,  hath  imposed  it. 

The  writer,  however,  will  be  greatly  misapprehended 
indeed,  if  he  is  understood  to  be  enforcing  any  thing  more 
than  the  order  of  procedure ;  though  the  order,  in  the 
first  instance,  and  in  all  cases,  not  only  as  it  respects  the 
terms  of  Scripture,  and  the  order  of  those  terms,  but  the 
necessity  for  our  faith  thus  falling  in  with  the  means 
employed  in  primitive  times  so  successfully  :  for  although 
it  is  probable  they  were  Parents  who  brought  their  Chil- 
dren, for  whose  encouragement  and  consolation  our  Lord 
first  uttered  these  gracious  words — "  Suffer  the  little  chil- 
dren to  come  unto  me,  and  forbid  them  not,  for  of  such  is 
the  kingdom  of  heaven  ; "  still,  should  Parents  remain 
25 


290  THE  MANNER  OF  PROCEDURE,  &c. 

obstinate,  after  the  means  thus  used  by  us  in  faith; 
firmly  retaining  our  determination  not  to  be  diverted  from 
proceeding  in  the  same  manner  elsewhere;  even  as  to  them 
we  are  not  without  resource.  Let  us  aim  at  the  Children, 
first  through  those  who  have  the  strongest  claims,  and 
ought  to  feel  the  warmest  interest  in  them,  their  Parents  ; 
and  though  for  a  season  they  remain  unmoved,  let  us  not 
despair :  reach  them  we  may  still,  and  that  through  the 
Children,  who,  at  all  events,  should  not  be  neglected. 
Such  exceptions  to  a  general  rule  there  will  ever  be,  in  a 
world  where  sin  has  marred  and  disordered  all  things; 
but  these  must  not,  by  any  means,  in  any  nation,  beguile 
us  from  treading  in  the  footsteps  of  the  harbinger  of  Jesus, 
nay,  of  Jesus  himself,  and  his  apostles,  when  turning  "the 
heart  of  the  Fathers  unto  their  Children,  and  the  heart 
of  Children  to  their  Fathers." 

Without  any  miraculous  interference,  without  any  earth- 
quake or  voice  from  heaven,  means  we  do  possess  of  pro- 
ducing, under  God,  the  same  awakened  state  of  mind, 
which  that  hardened  Parent,  the  Philippian  jailor,  evinced, 
when  he  cried  out — "  Sirs,  what  must  I  do  to  be  saved?"' 
And  there  is  still  One  above,  who  will  sanction  our  reply, 
— "  Believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  thou  shalt  be 
saved,  and  thy  house" 


SECTION  FIFTH. 

FAMILY     GOVERNMENT. 

The  positive  obligation  of  Parents,  as  such,  to  use  the  means  which 
God,  in  his  wisdom,  hath  ordained,  for  attaining  his  end  or  de- 
sign in  the  Domestic  Constitution. — Family  Government  illus- 
trated under  three  heads,  viz.  Order — Subordination — and  Har- 
mony. 

THE  means  appointed  by  infinite  Wisdom  to  reach  the 
end  of  the  Family  Constitution  now  demand  our  notice  : 
and  these  may  be  comprehended  under  three  heads,  viz. 
Family  Government,  Family  Religion,  and  Family  Ed- 
ucation, properly  so  called.  To  these  may  be  added, 
Family  Maxims,  or  General  Principles,  which,  if  these 
means  are  understood  and  adopted,  will  then  be  easy  of 
comprehension,  and  not  difficult  to  apply. 

Before  entering  on  either  of  these,  however,  it  ought  to 
be  distinctly  understood,  that  the  moral,  and  therefore 
positive,  obligation  to  use  these  means,  does  in  no  respect 
whatever  depend  either  on  the  inclination  or  the  ability  of 
the  Parents.  So  far  from  this  being  the  fact,  the  existence 
of  disinclination  or  moral  inability  will  merely  prove  the 
Parents  to  be  guilty,  while  the  obligation,  in  all  cases, 
remains,  and  respects  every  Parent  as  a  Parent — every 
Man  as  a  Man,  and  not  as  a  Christian  only. 

It  is,  indeed,  a  weak  and  miserable  subterfuge  to  which 
some  resort,  when  they  tell  us,  with  sinful  simplicity,  that 


292  FAMILY  GOVERNMENT. 

they  cannot  attend  to  these  subjects,  because  they  them- 
selves are  not  Christians ;  while  yet  they  will  not  move 
the  short  and  more  important  previous  question  :  Why 
not  ?  And  it  is  still  more  to  be  regretted,  that  some 
persons,  professing  Christianity,  who  ought  rather  to 
blush  for  their  ignorance  and  want  of  principle,  have 
given  their  guilty  sanction  to  such  folly,  by  replying 
merely  :  "Well,  to  be  sure,  this  is  very  true,  and,  until 
you  are  a  converted  individual,  you  cannot  attend  to  these 
subjects  in  a  manner  acceptable  to  God." 

Now,  instead  of  thus  betraying,  at  "once,  the  rights  of 
God,  and  the  dearest  interests  of  humanity,  let  me  entreat 
the  reader,  if  it  is  necessary,  to  look  directly  and  alone  to 
this  very  disinclination  and  professed  inability.  These 
you  will  find  are  not  only  consistent  with  obligation  :  but 
this  obligation  regards  them  with  the  eye  of  authority  and 
command.  This  inability  and  disinclination  are,  in  them- 
selves, to  your  conscience,  at  this  moment,  the  proof  of 
personal  guilt,  and  the  very  ground  of  condemnation.  In 
other  words,  these  are,  my  friend,  by  no  means  your 
misfortunes  only,  but  your  crimes,  and  therefore  it  be- 
comes a  shame  for  any  Parent  to  indulge,  much  more  to 
plead,  such  dispositions. 

The  organization  of  your  family,  and  the  end  proposed, 
with  the  chain  of  connection  between  these  two,  or,  what 
have  been  called  the  means  in  order  to  that  end,  are  all 
to  be  resolved  into  the  prerogative  or  peculiar  privilege  of 
Almighty  God.  He  who  creates  and  thus  establishes  the 
constitution,  has  also,  in  the  depth  of  his  wisdom  and 
goodness,  equally  established  the  means  to  his  own  end  or 
design.  Here,  therefore,  you  stand,  in  the  same  situation 
with  every  Parent,  as  the  head  of  his  family.  Thus,  life 
and  death,  or  good  and  evil,  are,  by  God,  set  before  you, 
as  well  as  every  other  Parent ;  and  from  you  and  your 
partner,  as  from  a  fountain,  will  the  waters  proceeds 


FAMILY  GOVERNMENT.  393 

sweet  or  bitter.  Yes,  the  frame  of  the  human  family  was 
created  for  action,  and  strikingly  exhibits  the  means  to  an 
end.  The  moral  obligations  of  Parents,  therefore,  who 
occupy  the  most  important  place  in  a  family,  like  all  other 
moral  obligations,  consist  in  an  indispensable  connection 
between  the  means  and  the  end;  so  that,  if  they  would 
gain  the  unspeakable  blessings  of  the  end,  they  are  in- 
dispensably bound,  that  is,  they  are  obliged,  to  use  the 
means.  On  the  contrary,  if  they  will  not,  all  the  evils 
which  result  must  follow  by  a  necessity  of  consequence, 
and  all  these,  too,  in  consequence  of  their  negligence  and 
impiety. 

You  may,  indeed,  not  like  the  means,  and  if  you  re- 
quire any  argument,  you  do  not.  Now,  upon  this  aversion 
itself  I  fix,  and  tell  you  that  it  constitutes  the  ground  of 
condemnation.  So  conscience  will  also  tell  you  every 
morning  you  rise,  and  she  will  add,  too,  that  moral  ability 
is  not  necessary  to  constitute  moral  obligation.  At  such 
a  moment  look  round  upon  your  infant  charge,  and  re- 
member that  these  young  immortals  are  growing  up  under 
the  moral  government  of  God  their  Creator  :  while  you 
are  free  indeed,  as  far  as  any  creature  can  be ;  that  is,, 
you  are  free  to  obey ;  for  to  admit  indifference  here  would 
be  to  legalize  rebellion. 

In  these  circumstances,  therefore,  to  every  Parent  who 
objects  or  even  hesitates,  I  have  only  three  questions  for 
conscience  to  answer,  and  the  party  is  speechless ;  and,  if 
he  is  so  from  conviction,  he  will  then  not  unnecessarily 
delay  one  hour,  in  considering  the  importance  and  the 
necessity  of  personal  religion. 

First,  Have  you  a  natural  capacity ;  or  have  you  a 
conscience,  and  are  you  possessed  of  reason  ?  Second^ 
Have  you  a  Bible  at  home,  as  the  means  of  information  ? 
Third,  Is  no  one  compelling  you,  to  act  as  you  have  done 
hitherto  ? 

25* 


294  FAMILY  GOVERNMENT. 

These  simple  interrogations  you  will  not  hesitate  to 
answer ;  the  first,  in  the  affirmative  ;  the  last,  in  the  neg- 
ative ;  and  the  second,  just  as  the  case  may  be.  Then, 
my  reader,  I  want,  I  need,  no  more.  You  are  in  a 
situation  suitable  enough  for  even  me  to  blame  you,  and 
assuredly  for  God  to  hold  you  responsible,  as  at  this  mo- 
ment he  does.  Nay,  I  object  not  even  to  narrow  this 
ground  for  you  still  farther.  Answer  me  only  the  first 
question  ?  Then  this  alone  constitutes  you  a  subject  of 
God's  moral  government  to  the  utmost  extent.  You  are 
now  bound  to  procure  the  means  of  information,  if  you 
have  them  not :  you  are  now  bound  to  resist  all  inter- 
ference. But,  in  this  country  especially,  no  one  dare,  no 
one  does  interfere,  from  the  king  downward.  You  are 
now  therefore  stripped  of  every  plea,  and  left  with  these, 
and  many  such  words,  in  your  ear — "  A  son  honoreth  his 
father,  and  a  servant  his  master.  If,  then,  I  be  a  Father, 
where  is  mine  honor  1  and  if  I  be  a  Master,  where  is  my 
fear,  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts  1 " 

Beware,  therefore,  reader,  beware  now  especially,  of 
any  subterfuge.  Tell  me  not  even  that  divine  influence 
is  requisite  to  your  choice  of  these  means  :  because, 
though  it  be,  I  can  and  do  immediately  reply,  that  this  is 
no  interference  with  your  act  of  choice  itself;  nor  has  it, 
as  you  know,  or  may  know,  any  conscious  influence  in 
breaking  the  connection  between  your  present  motive  and 
choice,  between  your  present  disinclination  and  your  in- 
cumbent duty.  No,  no,  the  question  is  not  what  moves 
or  causes  obedience  ;  but  what  is  the  nile  of  it  ? 

Perhaps  the  reader,  now  aware  of  the  meaning  of  what 
has  been  advanced,  is  disposed  to  say-r— "  But  stop  one 
moment.  If  you  are  right,  I  am  involved  indeed  in  a 
serious  situation  ;  for  it  seems,  my  very  will  itself,  rather 
than  any  mean,  is  tl>e  precise  and  proper  object  of  precept 
and  command."  I  answer  precisely  so  :  now,  at  lastx  we 


FAMILY  GOVERNMENT.  295 

are  right.  The  heart,  the  whole  heart,  is  demanded  first 
by  God,  and  to  be,  by  him,  directed  for  his  purposes,  and 
in  entire  subordination  to  his  revealed  will,  whatever  that 
will  may  prove.  And,  oh,  my  friend,  if  this  is  the  height, 
it  is  also  the  measure,  of  your  being.  By  God's  unaltered, 
nay,  unalterable  law,  your  heart  is  so  demanded  :  now, 
the  design  of  law  is  to  bind  to  one  side,  and  the  design  of 
authoritative  command  is  to  turn  the  will  one  way. 

Obligation  therefore  admitted,  you  may  now  cast  your 
eye  upon  these  means :  since  the  prodigious  extent  and 
strength  of  your  obligation  is  to  be  seen  in  them,  and  in 
your  natural  or  relative  connection  with  them.  Indeed, 
with  reference  to  them,  on  account  of  which  the  family  has 
been  gathered,  over  which  you  preside,  the  obligation  on 
you  is  so  strong,  that  I  might  ask  you,  if  you  can,  to  point 
out  a  stronger.  You  are  bound  in  conscience  and  in  duty, 
in  law  and  in  honesty,  in  gratitude  and  in  kindness :  you 
are  bound  by  the  nature  of  the  Family  Constitution,  and 
by  the  design  of  its  constitution :  bound  by  regard  to  your 
own  character  as  a  Parent,  by  regard  to  the  highest  in- 
terests of  your  offspring,  as  well  as  the  peace  and  well- 
being  of  posterity  :  bound,  in  short,  by  the  strongest  ties 
of  our  nature,  as  well  as  the  revealed  will  of  God.  How 
strong  must  that  obligation  be,  the  violation  of  which  can 
and  will  secure  the  united  testimony  of  so  many  witnesses 
against  you :  and,  ah !  how  could  you  ever  meet  them, 
and  meet  them  all  in  union,  another  day  ?  Suffer  them 
but  to  speak  now,  and  you  will  not  be  able  to  endure  even 
the  prospect. 

After  all,  this  is  by  no  means  the  only  line  of  argument 
which  might  be  adopted.  Did  you  never  think  of  the 
meaning  of  the  English  word  Paternity,  or  Fathership  ? 
This  relation  as  such  necessarily  involves  much.  Con- 
sider it  only  for  a  moment  in  two  points  of  view,  as 
connected  with  God  and  with  your  family.  In  the  first 


296  FAMILY  GOVERNMENT. 

connection,  does  it  not  involve  trust?  When  God  places 
any  man,  before  solitary,  or  only  a  son,  at  the  head  of  a 
family,  does  he  not  say  by  such  a  step, — "I  constitute 
you  as  the  trustee,  the  guide,  the  guardian  of  this  part  of 
mankind?  All  under  the  roof  are  your  charge,  and  to 
you  intrusted."  Now,  for  what  end?  To  be  ruled,  or 
not  ?  to  be  instructed,  or  not  ?  to  be  by  your  example  and 
your  precepts  led  to  heaven,  or  not  1  The  negative,  in 
such  cases,  is  not  merely  monstrous;  it  is  profane.  If  the 
first  connection  involves  duty  to  be  discharged  for  God, 
the  second  involves  love  of  and  care  over  those  given  to 
you  by  him.  But  of  the  body  only,  or  of  the  body  without 
any  reference  to  the  great  inhabitant  within  ?  The  nega- 
tive here  is  not  less  objectionable;  it  is  cruelty  and  hatred. 
Only  act,  therefore,  under  the  influence  of  this  trust,  and 
this  incumbent  love  and  care :  then  might  one  say  to  you, 
— "  Neglect  Family  Government,  or  even  Family  Devo- 
tion, if  you  can." 

The  obligation  to  Family  Government  being,  therefore, 
granted,  all  that  is  necessary  in  illustration  of  the  subject 
may  be  comprehended  under  the  three  following  heads, 
viz.  Family  Order,  Subordination,  and  Harmony. 

Order. — Every  person  is  pleased  with  this  exhibition  of 
a  Family,  though  many  are  by  no  means  equally  in  love 
with  its  cause ;  just  as  many  are  pleased  with  the  humble 
man,  who  do  not  love  humility.  But  still  order  is  but 
another  name  for  an  effect  whose  cause  is  government ; 
and  as  it  is  in  the  world  of  nature  where  effects  are  viewed 
with  delight,  when  their  proximate  cause  is  kept  concealed 
by  Infinite  Wisdom,  so  the  order  of  a  Family  rises  in  our 
admiration  just  in  proportion  as  its  cause  is  withdrawn 
from  public  view,  or  the  notice  of  a  stranger.  On  the 
other  hand,  nothing  is  more  irksome  to  the  visitors  in 
a  family,  than  to  see  the  cause  and  its  effect  justle  with 


FAMILY  GOVERNMENT.  097 

each  other,  when  authority  and  disorder  are  contending 
for  the  superiority.  The  reason  of  this  is  obvious.  It  is 
a  transgression  on  the  part  of  the  Parents  in  our  presence, 
and  involuntarily,  as  it  were,  we  think  of  them,  not  the 
Children.  The  government  is  their  affair  alone,  not  ours ; 
the  effect  is  ours,  in  part,  and,  on  going  into  a  family,  is 
meant  at  once  for  our  comfort,  our  encouragement,  and 
our  instruction.  Never  let  Parents  for  one  moment  sup- 
pose, that  any  friend  can  be  gratified  with  their  chiding, 
or  pointing,  or  bustling  in  his  presence.  This  is  not  the 
way  to  proceed  even  behind  the  curtain,  much  less  here; 
but  whatever  was  necessary  for  order  should  have  been 
transacted  elsewhere  by  themselves  alone,— an  evidence 
sufficient  that  order  is  at  once  an  effect  and  a  proof  of 
established  government.  If,  therefore,  we  wish  to  follow 
nature,  or,  to  speak  with  more  correctness,  its  Author,  the 
cause  must  be  concealed. 

To  the  Parents,  therefore,  in  the  first  instance,  are  we 
again  directed,  since  the  terms  on  which  they  live  with 
each  other  form  the  first  and  highest  cause  of  family  order, 
subordination  and  harmony. 

Of  confusion,  in  no  one  instance,  is  God  the  Author; 
but  of  order  and  of  peace  He  is  assuredly  the  cause  in 
every  family  properly  conducted,  as  well  as  in  all  churches 
of  the  saints.  The  precise  and  appropriate  sphere  of  every 
relation,  from  the  head  downwards,  he  has  described  in 
his  word,  with  a  minute  accuracy,  which  demonstates  the 
importance,  in  his  eye,  of  domestic  duties,  and  of  each 
individual  knowing  his  own  place,  as  well  as  how  to  act 
in  it.  Husband  and  Wife,  Parent  and  Child,  Master  and 
Servant,  are  again  and  again  singled  out;  and  the  parties 
who  will  only  take  his  word,  and  study  it,  as  their  guide, 
need,  in  truth,  no  other  Family-book. 

It  is  here  not  unworthy  of  remark,  that  the  progress  of 
Divine  Revelation  is  peculiarly  distinguished  by  its  throw* 


298  FAMILY  GOVERNMENT. 

ing  an  increasing  light  on  all  subjects  of  importance  and 
unchanging  obligation, — the  nature  of  sin — the  character 
and  government — the  law  and  the  gospel  of  God — as  well 
as  the  constitution  of  every  human  family.  To  those  who 
have  read  the  preceding  pages,  I  may  presume,  it  will  be 
no  objection  to  these  last,  and  clearest  or  most  explicit 
injunctions  of  the  sacred  volume,  that  both  Parents  are 
supposed  to  be  Christians ;  since  the  original  intention  of 
God  in  the  Domestic  Constitution  is  then  only  most  clearly 
seen ;  and  since  it  has  been  proved  to  be  alike  the  duty 
and  the  interest  of  all  to  be  of  the  Christian  faith.  So 
much  indeed  depends  on  this  supposition,  that,  in  Scrip- 
ture, we  find  a  style  of  exhortation,  built  on  the  nature  of 
the  connection  thus  subsisting  between  them.  One  pas- 
sage, in  particular,  is  so  distinguished  for  its  peculiar 
emphasis  and  beauty,  that,  although  it  has  been  already 
referred  to,  the  reader  cannot  object  to  its  being  quoted 
entire : 

"Wives,  submit  yourselves  unto  your  own  husbands  as 
unto  the  Lord :  for  the  husband  is  the  head  of  the  wife, 
even  as  Christ  is  the  head  of  the  church  ;  and  he  is  the 
Saviour  of  the  body.  Therefore  as  the  church  is  subject 
unto  Christ,  so  let  the  wives  be  to  their  own  husbands  in 
every  thing.  Husbands  love  your  wives,  even  as  Christ  also 
loved  the  church,  and  gave  himself  for  it ;  that  he  might 
sanctify  and  cleanse  it,  with  the  washing  of  water  by  the 
word ;  that  he  might  present  it  to  himself  a  glorious 
church,  not  having  spot  or  wrinkle,  or  any  such  thing ; 
but  that  it  should  be  holy  and  without  blemish.  So  ought 
men  to  love  their  wives  as  their  own  bodies  :  he  that 
loveth  his  wife  loveth  himself.  For  no  man  ever  yet  hated 
his  own  flesh,  but  nourisheth  and  cherisheth  it,  even  as 
the  Lord  the  church  ;  for  we  are  members  of  his  body,  of 
his  flesh,  and  of  his  bones.  For  this  cause  shall  a  man 
leave  his  father  and  his  mother,  and  shall  be  joined  to  his 


FAMILY  GOVERNMENT.  299 

wife,  and  they  two  shall  be  one  flesh.  This  is  a  great 
mystery  ;  but  I  speak  concerning  Christ  and  the  church. 
Nevertheless,  let  every  one  of  you  in  particular  so  love  his 
wife,  even  as  himself,  and  the  wife  see  that  she  reverence 
her  husband." 

Thus,  lest  there  should  be  any  mistake  or  misunder- 
standing, it  is  expressly  revealed,  that  in  the  management 
of  the  common  Family,  the  husband  stands  in  a  situation 
analogous  to  that  in  which   even    Christ  stands  to   the 
Church.     Nothing  being  so  essential  to  mutual  harmony, 
and    harmonious    operation,    as   an    explanation   of   the 
grounds  of  authority  and  the  true  character  and  connec- 
tion of  such  an  intimate  relation  as  this,  in  addressing  the 
Wife,  she  is  informed,  not  by  the  Husband,  but  by  God 
himself,  that,  as  Christ  is  her  Governor  in  the  Church,  so 
is  her  Husband  in  the  Family.     His   authority  over  her 
there,  however,  like  that  of  the  Saviour's  over  the  Church, 
is  founded  in  the  love  which  he  bears  to  her,  the  protec- 
tion he  affords,  and  the  provision  which  he  makes  for  her, 
of  all  the  necessaries,  and,  if  possible,  the  conveniences  of 
life.     What  a  serious  situation,  then,  and  how  full  of  re- 
sponsibility, is  that  of  every  husband  !     The  obedience 
enjoined  by  God  is,  it  seems,  not  for  the  Husband's  gratifi- 
cation merely,  but  for  a  higher  end ;   and,  in  return  for 
the  honor  which  is  put  upon  him,  he  is  bound  to  the  fulfil- 
ment of  corresponding  duties.      Should  he  presume  to 
trifle  with  this  love — this  protection — this  provision, — then 
does  he  vacate  the  obligation  on  which  the  submission  of 
his  partner   in  life  is  founded.     True,  she  may  ;  and  if, 
under  the  influence  of  Christian  principle,  she  will  act  as 
consistently  as  she  can ;  but  Tie  has  no  right  whatever  to 
complain,   nor   can   a  single  intimation   as  to  her  duty 
escape  with  grace  from  his  lips.     The  connection  is  of 
the  highest  reciprocal  character,  involving  a  mutual  en- 
deavor to  make  each  other  happy  :  and  the  Husband,  who 


300  FAMILY  GOVERNMENT. 

is  conscious  of  failing  in  duty,  should  be  led  back  to  his 
own  delinquency,  by  every  failure  on  the  part  of  his  Wife. 
In  one  word,  if  the  Wife  is  to  be  subject  to  her  Husband 
as  unto  the  Lord,  then  is  he  to  love  his  Wife  even  as 
Christ  loved  the  Church. 

Parents,  it  is  true,  have  their  infirmities,  and  do  not 
always  see  eye  to  eye  ;  but  if  each  is  impressed,  as  each 
ought  to  be,  vviih  the  importance  of  every  misunderstand- 
ing being  explained  and  settled,  not  in  the  presence  of 
their  Family,  but  when  alone,  they  will  mutually  waive 
any  expression  of  dissent  till  the  proper  season.  Should 
this  precaution  be  disregarded,  Children  will  not  only 
range  under  opposite  sides,  but  they  are  in  imminent  dan- 
ger of  failing  in  duty  and  respect  to  that  Parent  from 
whom  they  differ.  The  tranquillity  of  both  Parents,  as 
well  as  the  peace  of  all  under  that  roof,  are  then  and  thus 
at  an  end. 

On  the  other  hand,  imperfect  though  Parents  be,  and 
though  both  may  and  will  fall  short,  occasionally,  still 
success,  and  safety,  and  domestic  order,  depend  on  both 
aiming  after  the  right  pattern.  Should  their  mutual  love 
be  grounded  on  esteem,  there  is  a  secret  and  instituted 
virtue  in  their  example,  which  will  descend  on  a  constitu- 
tion of  things  divinely  adapted  and  appointed  to  receive 
it.  In  every  union  of  which  God  approves  (and  he  ap- 
proves of  whatever  he  has  appointed  and  enjoined),  he 
intends  not  only  the  present  enjoyment  of  two  or  three — 
he  has  a  higher  end  in  view ;  and  what  can  that  end  be, 
in  this  case,  if  it  is  not  to  promote  in  all  under  our 
roof,  the  same  mutual  endeavor  to  make  each  other 
happy  1 

The  foundation  of  order  being  thus  laid,  as  securely  as 
the  present  state  of  human  nature  will  admit,  in  the  in- 
violable and  strong  attachment,  as  well  as  the  assiduous 
endeavors  of  both  Parents ;  both  being  bound,  and  to  be 


FAMILY  GOVERNMENT*  -.  301 

themselves  governed  by  law ;  we  are  prepared  to  illustrate 
the  next  branch  of  Family  Government.    "*% 

Subordination,  or  the  establishment  of  authority. — The 
peculiarity  of  the  Domestic  Constitution  is  to  be  seen  in  a 
most  beautiful  and  interesting  ligtit,  by  observing  the  man- 
ner in  which  subordination  is  established.  Our  Creator 
appears  here,  as  on  many  other  occasions,  to  know  our 
frame,  and  to  remember  that  we  are  but  dust,  by  making 
our  commencement  as  easy  as  it  is  possible. 

In  his  own  moral  govern  me  t,  where  conscience  is  in 
operation,  and  reason  has  dawned,  a  society  of  intelligent 
beings,  to  which  he  is  united,  ruling  as  Head ;  knowing 
that  his  authority  can  neither  be  established  nor  main- 
tained sufficiently,  without  exhibiting  and  enforcing 
methods,  and  rules,  and  ends ;  therefore  has  he  sur- 
rounded us  by  his  works,  and  put  into  our  hand  his  own 
divine  revelation.  But  a  Parent  he  stations  to  watch  over 
the  seedlings  or  buds  only  of  this  moral  government. 
There,  in  their  most  important,  because  their  earliest 
years,  neither  conscience  nor  reason  are  yet  in  operation  ; 
and  for  some  time,  at  least,  our  government  of  our  Chil- 
dren stands  in  the  same  relation  to  them  which  the 
Almighty's  general  government  of  providential  disposal 
<loes  to  us.  Men,  indeed,  who  are  but  Children  of  larger 
growth,  often  complain  of  Providence,  and  strangely  de- 
sire some  explanation  or  revelation  of  the  scheme;  forget- 
ting that  such  revelation,  if  understood,  might  deprive 
them  of  reason,  or  might  darken  and  embitter  all  their 
days.  But  the  truth  seems  to  be,  that  though  it  were 
given,  we  should  never  be  able  to  take  it  in.  Far  too 
vast  for  our  present  reach,  it  would  ever  be  above  our 
sphere  of  judgment.  Such  revelation,  however,  is  not 
only  mercifully  withheld :  it  is  not  necessary,  since,  for 
every  step  of  our  mysterious  journey  to  the  skies,  it  is 
26 


302  FAMILY  GOVERNMENT. 

quite  sufficient  for  us  to  know,  that  "  He  is  too  wise  to 
err,  and  too  good  to  be  unkind." 

Just  so  it  is  with  Children.  It  is  enough  for  them  if, 
with  all  my  imperfections,  I,  as  a  Parent,  am  regulated 
by  wisdom  and  kindness.  The  subordination  which  I  re- 
quire I  need  not  explain :  they  could  not  understand  it 
though  I  did.  Now,  in  this  I  read  the  considerate  kind- 
ness of  God.  I  am  placed  in  the  closest  connection  with 
a  few  of  the  members  of  his  moral  government ;  nay,  I 
am  called  to  train  a  few  of  the  future  Sons  and  Daughters 
of  God  ;  and  yet  to  them  I  owe,  at  Jirst,  no  explanation 
of  my  conduct :  I  need  not  give  it ;  I  merely  require  to 
act.  This  is  what  I  meant  by  the  commencement  being 
rendered  as  easy  as  it  is  possible.  This  is  at  once  a 
peculiarity  in  this  singular  Constitution,  and  a  high  token 
of  Divine  favor,  on  the  morning  of  all  its  kind  and  im- 
portant intentions. 

In  this  arrangement  of  Providence,  however,  it  is  ne- 
cessary to  fix  the  eye  on  its  design.  There  is  design 
here.  You  may  admire  in  it  the  beautiful  arrangement 
of  Heaven,  which  has  so  adapted  the  weakness  of  one 
generation  to  the  strength  of  that  which  precedes  it,  and 
the  power  which  the  expressions  of  that  weakness  have 
over  parental  sympathy  ;  but  is  this  all  1  Besides  nour- 
ishing and  cherishing  these  Children,  is  it  not  as  evidently 
designed  that  you  should  regulate  and  guide  them,  as 
well  as  that  they  should  obey  you  1  Has  not  Jehovah,  in 
the  depth  of  his  condescension,  sometimes  illustrated  the 
principles  of  his  own  government  by  allusions  to  that  of  a 
Family,  and  thus  at  the  same  time  explained  it?  "  When 
Israel  was  a  child,  then  I  loved  him,  and  called  my  Son 
out  of  Egypt."  "  I  taught  Ephraim  also  to  go,  taking 
them  by  their  arms ;  but  they  knew  not  that  I  healed 
them.  I  drew  them  with  cords  of  a  man,  with  bands  of 
Jove  :  and  I  was  to  them  as  they  that  take  oif  the  yoke  on 


FAMILY  GOVERNMENT.  303 

their  jaws,  and  I  laid  meat  unto  them."  Or  as  Tyndal 
has  it :  "I  learned  Ephraim  to  go  and  bare  them  in  my 
arms.  I  led  in  the  cords  of  friendship  and  bands  of  love. 
I  was  even  he  that  laid  the  yoke  upon  their  necks :  I 
gave  them  my  fodder  myself,  that  they  should  not  go 
again  into  Egypt."  The  allusions  here,  it  is  true,  refer 
not  only  to  man  ;  they  go  down  so  low  as  even  the  animal 
creation,  from  whence  indeed  a  great  deal  of  instruction 
may  be  acquired  :  but 

A  longer  care  man's  helpless  kind  demands ; 
That  longer  care  contracts  more  lasting  bands : 
Reflection,  Scripture,  still  the  ties  improve, 
At  once  extend  the  interest  and  the  love  ; 
And  still  new  seeds,  new  helps,  new  habits  rise, 
That  graft  your  duty  upon  charities. 

Surely,  then,  it  is  manifest,  that  all  the  implanted  ten- 
derness of  Parental  love  is  subordinate  to  a  higher  end — 
the  ruling  and  directing  of  those  under  your  care. 

Thus,  then,  you  have  at  once  to  proceed  to  action. 
You  act  as  supreme :  and  if  you  only  look  up  for  wisdom, 
(and  who  ever  did  so  in  vain  ?)  and  act  with  wisdom,  you 
will  not  only,  at  this,  the  "  appointed  season,"  establish 
your  authority,  but  in  the  very  dawn  of  reason  you  may, 
by  mere  action,  have  instructed  your  children  into  some 
of  the  most  important  principles,  which  animate  the 
Christian  even  in  mature  life.  Great  sagacity,  indeed,  is 
required  here,  but  still  the  thing  is,  in  some  instances, 
possible.  "  Children,"  says  Mr.  Cecil,  "  are  very  early 
capable  of  impression.  I  imprinted  on  my  daughter  the 
idea  of  faith  in  God,  at  a  very  early  age.  She  was  playing 
one  day  with  a  few  beads,  which  seemed  to  delight  her 
wonderfully.  Her  whole  soul  was  absorbed  in  her  beads. 
I  said — '  My  dear,  you  have  some  pretty  beads  there.' 
( Yes,  papa.'  '  And  you  seem  to  be  vastly  pleased  with 
them.'  '  Yes,  papa.'  ( Well  now,  throw  'em  behind  the 


304  FAMILY  GOVERNMENT. 

fire.'  The  tears  started  into  her  eyes.  She  looked  ear- 
nestly at  me,  as  though  she  ought  to  have  a  reason  for 
such  a  cruel  sacrifice.  '  Well,  .my  dear,  do  as  you  please : 
but  you  know  I  never  told  you  to  do  any  thing  which  I 
did  not  think  would  be  good  for  you.'  She  looked  at  me 
a  few  moments  longer,  and  then,  summoning  up  all  her 
fortitude,  her  breast  heaving  with  the  effort,  she  dashed 
them  into  the  fire.  '  Well,'  said  T,  '  there  let  them  lie : 
you  shall  hear  more  about  them  another  time  ;  but  say  no 
more  about  them  now.'  Some  days  after,  I  bought  her  a 
box  full  of  larger  beads,  and  toys  cf  the  same  kind.  When 
I  returned  home,  I  opened  the  treasure,  and  set  it  before 
her  :  she  burst  into  tears  of  ecstacy.  '  Those,  my  child/ 
said  I,  '  are  yours,  because  you  believed  me  when  I  told 
you  it  would  be  better  for  you  to  throw  those  two  or  three 
paltry  beads  behind  the  fire.  Now,  that  has  brought  you 
this  treasure.  But  now,  my  dear,  remember  as  long  as 
you  live,  what  FAITH  is.  I  did  all  this  to  teach  you  the 
meaning  of  faith.  You  threw  your  beads  away  when  I 
bid  you,  because  you  had  faith  in  me,  that  I  never  advised 
you  but  for  your  good.  Put  the  same  confidence  in  God. 
Believe  every  thing  that  he  says  in  his  word.  WThether 
you  fully  understand  it  or  not,  have  faith  in  Him  that  he 
means  your  good." 

I  do  not  know  but  that  some  slight  objection  may  be 
made  to  this  illustration,  and  I  do  not  mention  it,  by  any 
means,  with  a  view  to  put  Parents  on  trying  such  experi- 
ments. They  are  perhaps  the  most  ticklish  of  any  in 
which  a  man  can  engage,  and,  by  the  most  skilful,  must 
be  tried  but  very  rarely  indeed  ;  and  even  then,  not  only 
are  circumstances  to  be  considered,  but,  as  I  said  before, 
the  greatest  sagacity  is  needful.  Still,  when  authority  is 
established,  and  the  dear  Children  feel  that  they  are  loved 
most  tenderly,  were  Parents  wise  and  watchful,  I  am  per- 
suaded that  other  principles  might  be  still  more  happily, 
and  perhaps  more  correctly  illustrated. 


FAMILY  GOVERNMENT.  305 

This,  however,  after  all,  though  a  valuable,  is  only  a  con- 
tingent or  an  accidental  advantage  :  but  the  truth  is,  that 
all  the  benefits  which,  as  a  Parent,  you  are  happily 
appointed  to  convey  to  your  family,  rest  on  established 
authority  as  their  sole  and  appropriate  foundation. 

As  all  lasting  affection  must  be  grafted  on  esteem  and 
respect :  as  it  is  at  once  your  interest  and  your  duty  to 
form  confidential  habits  in  all  around  you  :  as  you  desire 
to  interfere  in  the  way  of  authority  but  seldom,  but  that 
when  you  do  so,  you  should  be  obeyed  :  for  these,  and 
other  blessings,  you  have  at  least  laid  the  proper  founda- 
tion. Thus,  too,  though  the  grounds  of  your  authority 
need  not  be  explained,  and  could  not  be  comprehended 
though  they  were,  your  charge  will  enjoy  the  first  and 
highest  benefits  of  their  existence,  from  a  source,  as  yet, 
above  their  comprehension  ! 

This  state  of  things,  however,  is  not  to  continue  long. 
Their  eyes  and  ears  were  given  them  for  constant  use, 
and  very  soon  they  will  observe,  and  even  in  their  own 
little  minds  make  observation,  whether  you  yourself  are 
governed  by  law,  and  whether  you,  in  all  your  conduct, 
seem  also  to  be  under  the  authority  of  one  above.  And, 
O,  at  this  interesting  stage  of  infancy,  I  know  not  of  a 
more  advantageous  and  powerful  school  for  instruction, 
than  when  the  eye  and  ear  of  our  children  are  saluted, 
daily,  by  the  reverential  eye  of  their  Parents,  and  the 
devotional  tones  of  their  Parent's  voice.  If  you,  my 
readers,  as  Parents?  are  indeed  a  living  epistle,  your 
Children,  without  being  requested,  will  read  this  daily, 
and  with  marked  observation. 

Children,  however,  are  daily  advancing,  and  therefore 
provision  must  be  made  for  this.  Authority,  though  fully 
established,  must  also  be  maintained  :  but  this  cannot  be 
done  without  laws,  and  there  is  no  law,  where  there  are 
no  rewards  and  punishments.  Without  these,  what  is 
26* 


306  FAMILY  GOVERNMENT. 

called  law,  is  merely  solemn  advice.  Already,  indeed, 
the  Children  are  under  law,  because  they  are  under 
authority,  but  very  soon  your  instructions  will,  among 
other  subjects,  unfold,  by  slow  but  certain  degrees,  the 
principles  on  which  you  have  acted  from  the  beginning, 
and  on  which  you  intend  still  to  proceed.  The  govern- 
ment of  your  family,  though  so  singularly  established,  was 
begun  in  such  wisdom,  and  is  to  be  conducted  on  prin- 
ciples of  such  fairness  and  sterling  equity,  that  the  very 
conscience,  in  its  first  efforts,  you  will  now  find  coming  in 
to  your  assistance;  and,  corrupt  though  human  nature 
be,  coming  to  your  assistance  in  a  state  the  most  interest- 
ing and  precious  to  a  Parent's  heart — 

In  early  days  the  conscience  has  in  most 
A  quickness,  which  in  later  life  is  lost : 
Preserved  from  guilt  by  salutary  fears, 
Or  guilty,  soon  relenting  into  tears. 

Punishments  and  rewards,  which  suppose  law,  as  it  sup- 
poses them,  call  for  no  passing  consideration :  more  espe- 
cially since,  both  in  every  human  government  and  in  the 
family,  this  has  been  considered  by  some,  as  nearly  the 
most  difficult  department.  I  question,  however,  whether 
the  great  majority  of  mistakes  here,  at  least  in  domestic 
fife,  may  not  be  traced  to  one  of  only  two  sources  :  either 
our  not  understanding  the  principle  on  which  both  should 
be  conducted,  or  our  violating  this  principle,  though 
admitted.  To  assist  us  in  ascertaining  this  principle,  it 
may  be  remarked,  that  there  is  nothing  of  which,  in  the 
first  years  of  infancy,  a  child  is  more  susceptible,  than  the 
parental  smile  or  frown.  If  this  fine  adaptation  of  Parent 
to  Child  is  trifled  with  by  the  Parent ;  if  it  is  regulated  by 
no  principle  ;  or  if  it  is  disregarded,  and  its  powerful 
influence  is  gradually  wearing  away,  then  the  Parent  is 
daily  and  deeply  in  fault.  This  influence  once  gone !  by 


FAMILY  GOVERNMENT.  307 

the  righteous  retribution  of  Heaven,  the  Child  is  now 
appointed  to  inflict  punishment.  To  try  his  Parent's 
patience — to  exhaust  his  wits — and  in  some  cases  to  break 
his  very  spirit,  or  bring  down  his  grey  hairs  with  sorrow  to 
the  grave  !  At  any  one  of  these  unhappy  stages  in  the 
experience  of  an  erring  Parent,  does  the  reader  inquire, 
What  remains  to  be  done  ?  I  know  of  no  other  reply, 
than  that  he  is  to  begin  at  the  beginning,  on  the  same 
principle  with  the  lad,  which  he  ought  to  have  done  with 
him  when  an  infant.  I  have  said  only,  on  the  same 
principle  :  but  now  the  application  of  it  requires  much 
more  wisdom  and  sagacity  than  before  ;  much  more  than 
the  infant  required,  and,  alas !  perhaps  now  much  more 
than  the  Parent  happens  to  possess  !  Such,  however,  is 
the  order  and  law  of  nature.  "  To  every  thing  there  is  a 
season,  and  a  time  to  every  purpose  under  the  heaven." 

To  return,  however,  to  the  infant,  and  to  the  principle 
on  which  both  punishment  and  reward  should  proceed  ; 
if  I  so  manage,  that  the  severest  punishment  which  can 
be  felt  in  my  family  is  the  loss  of  my  favor,  and  the  rich- 
est reward  which  can  be  felt,  is  the  enjoyment  and  ex- 
pression of  it,  I  shall  not  greatly  err.  To  this,  therefore, 
all  my  wisdom  and  pains-taking,  all  my  other  arrange- 
ments should  tend.  Under  this,  the  highest,  there  must 
still,  however,  be  subordinate  punishments  and  rewards  : 
and  if  each  of  these  come  in,  as  the  consequence  of  obe- 
dience and  duty  fulfilled,  and  the  former  are  never  felt, 
but  in  consequence  of  the  violation  of  authority,  here  also 
I  shall  not  greatly  err.  The  excess  of  punishment  or 
reward,  and  the  unequal  application  of  either,  have  been 
already  illustrated  under  a  former  Section.  To  what  is 
there  stated  I  would  now  only  add,  that  there  are  two 
instruments  to  be  employed  in  all  cases  for  maintaining 
authority  :  the  one  of  constant,  the  other  only  of  occasional 
application,  and  that  the  occasional  use  of  the  one  de- 


308  FAMILY  GOVERNMENT. 

pends  materially  on  the  constancy  of  the  other.  If  the 
first  is  studied  as  it  ought  to  be,  and  then  applied  with 
consistent  constancy,  a  tenderness  and  dexterity  in  apply- 
ing the  second  will  be  the  consequence,  which,  without 
observing  this  order,  no  rules  whatever  can  supply.  The 
first  instrument  is  the  reins,  the  second  is  the  rod  or  re- 
ward. The  righteous  man  is  said  to  regard  the  life  even 
of  his  beast;  but  this  very  regard  will  prompt  him  to 
study  the  science  of  the  reins  supremely. 

I  recollect  of  hearing  of  two  coaches  which  used  to 
drive  into  Newmarket  from  London,  by  a  certain  hour, 
at  a  time  of  strong  competition.  The  coach  which  gen- 
erally came  in  first  had,  I  think,  four  greys,  and,  upon 
their  arrival,  the  people  used  to  remark,  that  there  was 
scarcely  a  wet  hair  on  one  of  them.  In  the  other,  though 
last,  the  horses  were  jaded  and  even  heated  to  excess,  and 
had  the  appearance  of  having  made  great  efforts.  The 
reader,  perhaps  at  once,  understands  the  cause  of  this 
difference.  The  first  man  did  it  all,  of  course,  by  the 
reins :  the  second,  unsteady  in  himself,  or  unskilful  in 
the  reins,  had  induced  bad  habits,  and  then  employed  the 
whip,  but  he  could  never  cope  with  the  other.  So  it  will 
ever  hold  in  all  guidance,  in  all  government.  If  obedience 
to  the  reins  is  found  to  be  most  pleasant  in  itself,  and  even 
the  road  to  enjoyment,  then  obedience  will  grow  into 
a  habit,  and  become  in  fact  the  choice  of  the  party. 
"  Train  up  a  child  in  the  way  he  should  go ;  and  when 
he  is  old,  he  will  not  depart  from  it." 

Domestic  Harmony. — I  am  well  aware,  that  some  Pa- 
rents frequently  dwell  upon  the  difficulty  of  maintaining 
either  order  or  subordination  in  their  household ;  but  Jet 
them  remember,  at  such  a  time,  there  is  a  reward  await- 
ing them,  if  these  are  established,  even  in  this  life,  and 
almost  immediately  :  for  it  seems  to  be  only  in  exact  pro- 


FAMILY  GOVERNMENT.  309 

portion  as  these  are  studied  and  maintained,  that  the 
whole  household  can  enjoy  the  great  and  unspeakable 
felicity  of  domestic  harmony  and  peace.  In  this  little 
community,  should  any  misunderstanding  or  jarring  ever 
take  place,  let  not  the  eye  of  Parents  pore  over  the  evil 
itself  only.  They  would  do  well  to  consider  it  but  the 
effect  of  a  cause,  at  least  in  many  instances,  and  that 
cause  one  in  which  they  themselves  are  almost  as  much 
involved  as  the  parties  at  variance.  Let  them  but  con- 
sider the  incident  in  this  light,  and  it  will  often  prove  a 
memento  to  themselves,  that  there  has  been  either  some 
deficiency  in  point  of  order  on  their  part,  or  some  defi- 
ciency in  that  subordination,  which  they  have  not  suffi- 
ciently established  among  those  who  are  dependent  upon 
them. 

For  what  though  no  two  individuals  under  this  roof 
are  of  the  same  age — of  the  same  talents — or  even  of 
precisely  the  same  natural  temper  or  disposition?  Colli- 
sions, of  course,  there  may  and  must  occur;  but  this 
disparity,  in  itself  considered,  even  when  it  proves  the 
occasion  of  such  collisions,  may,  under  the  influence  of 
order  and  subordination,  be  employed  as  a  mighty  assist- 
ant to  habitual  peace  and  harmony.  The  Family  Con- 
stitution is  one  of  Nature's  works,  and  therefore,  under 
the  domestic  roof,  in  proportion  as  order  and  subordina- 
tion are  maintained,  the  same  analogy  will  be  found  to 
hold  good,  which  we  admire  in  the  delightful  field  of 
nature, 

"  Where  order  in  variety  we  see, 
And  where,  though  all  things  differ,  they  agree." 

It  is  obvious,  that  the  daily  incidents,  of  the  domestic 
circle  are,  comparatively,  but  of  small  account ;  and  it  is 
therefore  the  more  to  be  regretted,  that  they  should  ever 
prove  the  seeds  of  such  evil  in  future  life,  which,  without 
doubt,  they  must,  if  not  properly  regarded,  and  brought 


310  FAMILY  GOVERNMENT. 

under  the  guidance  of  well-regulated  government;  but, 
on  the  other  hand,  should  they  be  so,  instead  of  being 
matter  of  regret,  they  furnish  the  very  means  of  preparing 
the  inmates  for  acting  their  part  in  the  free  and  full 
society  of  future  existence.  Indeed,  in  a  well-regulated 
family,  these  same  tiny  events  can  be  not  only  disposed 
of  to  advantage,  but  occasionally  referred  to  by  such 
Parents,  with  their  Children  around  them,  in  language 
which  may  be  of  lasting  benefit  to  every  ear.  From  their 
lips  such  language  as  the  following,  will  not  only  prove 
salutary,  but  pleasing  to  the  recollection  of  every  Child ; 
and  more  especially  when  their  Parents  are  gone : 

"  Since  trifles  make  the  sum  of  human  things, 
And  half  our  misery  from  our  foibles  springs ; 
Since  life's  best  joys  consist  in  peace  and  ease, 
And  though  but  few  may  serve,  yet  all  may  please  : 
O  !  let  the  ungentle  spirit  learn  from  hence, 
A  small  unkindness  may  give  great  offence. 
To  spread  large  bounties  though  we  wish  in  vain, 
Yet  all  may  shun  the  guilt  of  giving  pain  : 
To  bless  mankind  with  tides  of  flowing  wealth, 
With  rank  to  grace  them,  or  to  crown  with  health, 
Our  little  lot  denies  ;  yet  lib'ral  still, 
Heav'n  gives  its  counterpoise  to  every  ill ; 
Nor  let  us  murmur  at  our  stinted  powers, 
When  kindness,  love,  and  concord,  may  be  ours. 
The  gift  of  ministering  to  others'  ease 
To  all  her  sons  impartial  she  decrees ; 
The  gentle  offices  of  patient  love, 
Beyond  all  flattery,  and  all  price  above ; 
The  mild  forbearance  at  a  brother's  fault, 
The  angrv  word  suppress'd,  the  taunting  thought; 
Subduing  and  subdued,  the  petty  strife, 
Which  clouds  the  color  of  domestic  life ; 
The  sober  comfort,  all  the  peace  which  springs 
From  the  large  aggregate  of  little  things  ; 
On  these  small  cares  of  daughter,  wife,  or  friend, 
The  almost  sacred  joys  of  Home  depend  : 
There,  Sensibility,  thou  best  may'st  reign, 
HOME  is  thy  true  legitimate  domain." 


FAMILY  GOVERNMENT.  311 

Many  and  great  indeed  are  the  advantages  which  must 
accrue  to  both  Children  and  Servants  where  such  Family 
Government  is  at  once  studied  and  maintained;  nor  must 
the  Parents  themselves  now  be  forgotten,  after  duties, 
delightful  in  many  respects,  but  arduous  and  difficult  as 
these  must  ever  be.  What,  then,  shall  be  done  for  the 
Parents  who  excel  in  Family  Government?  Duty,  it  13 
true,  always  brings  along  with  it  its  own  reward,  and,  in 
the  present  case,  a  reward  so  rich,  that  it  can  with  diffi- 
culty be  expressed  in  language,  and  certainly  can  never 
be  fully  comprehended  by  mere  description  ;  while  the 
future  enjoyment  of  both  Parents,  in  the  present  life, 
absolutely  hinges  upon  their  fulfilment  of  such  duty.  But 
still  this  is  not  all  which  is  held  out  in  Scripture  to  the 
parental  eye :  on  Parents  such  as  these,  the  Saviour  of  the 
world,  even  after  he  was  enthroned  in  glory,  condescended 
to  look  down,  and  then  did  He  point  them  out  to  general 
notice,  upon  one  of  the  most  important  occasions  which 
ever  does  occur  in  his  own  kingdom  here  below.  In 
his  Church,  intending  there  should  always  be  found  two 
classes  of  individuals  bearing  the  highest  responsibility; 
in  both  cases,  it  seems,  he  must  glance  at  the  subject 
of  Family  Government,  or  Domestic  order,  subordination 
and  harmony :  as  much  as  to  signify  to  every  succeeding 
age,  that  they  are  Christians  but  of  inferior  character  in- 
deed, who  have  not  paid  a  due  regard  to  this  duty ;  and 
that  though  other  qualifications  might  seem,  at  once,  to 
suggest  a  man  to  observation,  this  was  a  negative  which 
was  to  destroy  all  other  positives.  Having  once  suggested, 
and  even  cherished  the  desire  of  such  an  office — "A 
bishop  then"  says  the  Almighty,  "  a  bishop  then  must 
be— one  that  ruleth  well  his  own  house,  having  his  chil- 
dren in  subjection,  with  all  gravity ;  for  if  a  man  know 
not  how  to  rule  his  own  house,  how  shall-  he  take  care  of 
the  Church  of  God  1 "  The  deacons,  too,  it  seems,  must 


312  FAMILY  GOVERNMENT. 

be  men    "ruling  their  Children   and  their  own  houses 
well;"  not  indifferently,  but  well. 

Thus  did  the  Redeemer  of  mankind,  not  only  fix  his 
eye  on  this  subject,  but  by  so  doing,  and  at  such  a  time, 
meant  to  fix  ours.  So  invaluable  and  singular  a  prize  or 
bounty  is  nowhere  else  held  out,  in  the  whole  compass 
of  the  Book  of  God,  to  any  who  excel  in  any  other  way. 
Favors  these,  which  are  the  highest  ever  bestowed  on 
mortal  man  on  this  side  the  grave ; — favors,  too,  by  which 
he  not  only  meant  to  fix  the  eye  of  his  associated  people, 
but  of  every  member  there,  in  every  age,  at  every  such 
solemn  and  interesting  moment ;  and  thus,  in  a  way 
peculiar  to  himself,  while  providing  for  the  government  of 
his  own  House,  bring  up  also,  in  a  secondary  manner,  the 
government  and  guidance  of  the  Family,  to  the  highest 
possible  pitch  of  perfection  !  Suggesting,  at  once,  equally, 
to  both  pastors  and  their  flock,  that  upon  this  one  subject, 
in  a  vital  degree,  depended  the  moral  health  and  energy, 
the  peace  and  prosperity,  of  his  whole  kingdom  ! 

After  all  this,  however,  it  is  fully  granted,  because  it  is 
true,  that  no  man,  whether  in  his  individual,  or  domestic, 
or  social  capacity,  even  by  faith  in  God,  or  obedience  to 
Him  as  an  effect  of  that  faith,  can  ever  be  raised  entirely 
above  the  curse  pronounced  at  the  beginning  on  the  family 
of  Adam :  nor  will  any  such  man  ever  admit  the  vain  ex- 
pectation :  but  still  he  finds  that,  through  the  tender  mercy 
and  kindness  of  God,  that  curse  may  be  greatly  mitigated; 
and  he  is  the  only  person  who  knows,  for  himself,  and 
in  his  domestic  circle,  that  wisdom's  ways  are  "  ways  of 
pleasantness,  and  all  her  paths  are  peace." 

In  our  search  after  Domestic  felicity,  therefore,  come 
we  must,  at  last,  to  the  same  conclusion  which  the  wisest 
of  men  once  did,  in  his  inquiry  after  sublunary  bliss  in 
general : — "  Let  us  hear  the  conclusion  of  the  whole  mat- 
ter :  Fear  God  and  keep  his  commandments ; "  since  this, 


FAMILY  GOVERNMENT.  313 

after  all  that  can  be  said,  involves  the  whole  happiness  of 
man  :  "  fo.5  God  will  bring  every  work  into  judgment,  with 
every  secret  thing,  whether  it  be  good,  or  whether  it  be 
evil."  Then  will  this  filial  fear  and  obedience  be  found 
to  have  involved  the  only  happiness  which  can  bear  such 
scrutiny ;  the  only  enjoyment  which  will  then  be  shown  to 
have  been  legitimate,  and  the  only  species  of  enjoyment  on 
which  the  Almighty  Judge  will  pronounce  the  sentence  of 
his  final  and  everlasting  approbation. 


DAK 

SECTION  SIXTH. 

FAMILY     DEVOTION. 

The  obligations  to  Family  Worship— The  abuse  to  which  it  has 
been  exposed — The  best  seasons  for  Family  Devotion — The  profit- 
able performance  of  Domestic  Worship, 

ALTHOUGH  all  that  is  incumbent  on  the  Father  or  Mother 
of  a  Family  might  be  inferred  from  what  has  been  already 
advanced,  and  is  certainly  implied  in  many  passages,  the 
religion  or  Christianity  of  a  Family  is  so  essentially  con- 
nected with  the  principles  on  which  Divine  Worship  is 
offered  there,  and  the  spirit  in  which  it  is  conducted,  that 
some  special  notice  of  this  subject  becomes  necessary. 
The  observations  which  follow,  therefore,  are  intended  to 
embrace  the  obligations  to  Family  Worship — the  abuse  to 
which  it  has  been  exposed — the  best  seasons  for  Family 
Devotion — with  the  various  exercises  which  are  included 
in  the  profitable  performance  of  Domestic  Worship. 

I.  The  Obligations  to  Family  'Worship. — The  dispo- 
sition of  some  men,  professing  Christianity,  to  ask  per- 
emptorily for  a  particular  precept  in  all  cases  of  incumbent 
moral  duty,  is  one  which  every  Christian  would  do  well  to 
examine ;  not  only  that  he  may  never  be  troubled  with  it 
himself,  but  that  he  may  be  at  no  loss  in  answering  such 
a  man,  if  he  is  called  to  converse  with  him.  The  par- 


FAMILY  DEVOTION.  315 

ticular  duty  to  which  he  refers,  say,  for  example,  Family 
Worship,  is  comparatively  of  small  account.  His  question 
itself,  is  indicative  not  merely  of  great  ignorance ;  it  is 
symptomatic  of  the  want  of  religious  principle.  When 
a  man  says,  that  he  can  only  be  bound  to  such  a  duty,  a 
moral  duty,  by  a  positive  and  particular  precept,  I  am 
satisfied  that  Tie  could  not  perform  it,  in  obedience  to  any 
precept  whatever ;  nor  could  he,  even  now,  though  he 
were  to  try.  The  truth  is,  that  this  man  has  no  dispo- 
sition towards  such  worship,  and  he  rather  requires  to  be 
informed  of  the  grounds  of  all  such  obligation. 

If  you  have  been  accustomed  to  look  a  little  deeper 
than  the  surface  of  human  character,  you  will  find  that 
men  of  this  description  secretly  cherish  the  idea,  that 
they  have  found  out  the  way  of  living  happily  enough 
without  holiness ;  and  should  they  also  seem  to  have 
drank  deeply  into  such  principles,  I  should  as  soon  ex- 
pect to  cure  insanity  by  reasoning  as  to  cure  them. 
They  know  not,  as  yet,  what  Scripture  has  so  emphatically 
called,  "the  plague  of  their  own  heart;"  but  while  to 
this  alone  we  can  direct  them,  there  are  not  wanting 
individuals  who  require  to  be  fortified  even  against  such 
poor  sophistry. 

The  duty  of  Family  Devotion,  therefore,  let  it  be  re- 
membered, though  it  had  been  minutely  enjoined  as  to 
both  substance  and  season,  would  not,  after  all,  have  been 
founded  only  on  such  injunctions.  I  want  the  reader 
thoroughly  to  understand  the  character  of  a  Christian,  the 
constitution  of  the  Family ;  and  out  of  this  character 
and  that  constitution,  he  will  find  certain  duties  to  arise 
necessarily ;  that  is,  they  are  essential  to  the  continuance 
and  well-being  of  himself  as  a  Christian  Parent,  and  of 
the  constitution  over  which  he  is  set.  In  this  case  there 
can  be  no  question  as  to  their  obligation,  and  for  a  precept 
there  is  no  necessity.  The  Almighty,  in  his  word,  has  not 


316  FAMILY  DEVOTION. 

only  said  nothing  in  vain,  but  nothing  except  what  is 
necessary.  Now,  as  to  Family  Worship  for  a  particular 
precept,  I  have  no  wish ;  no,  not  even  for  the  sake  of 
others,  because  I  am  persuaded  that  the  Christian,  in  his 
sober  senses,  will  naturally  obey,  and  no  other  can. 

To  apply,  however,  this  request  for  a  precise  precept  to 
some  other  branches  of  Family  duty,  what  would  be 
thought  of  me,  were  I  to  demand  an  express  precept  to 
enforce  my  obligation  to  feed  my  children,  and  another  to 
oblige  me  to  clothe  them  ?  one  to  express  my  obligation  to 
teach  them  the  use  of  letters,  and  another  to  secure  my 
training  them  to  lawful  or  creditable  professions  or  em- 
ployments ?  "  All  this,"  very  properly  you  might  reply, 
"  is  absurd  in  the  highest  degree;  your  obligation  rests  on 
much  higher  ground ;  nay,  doth  not  nature  itself  teach 
you  in  this,  and  much  more  than  this?"  Very  true,  I 
reply ;  and  is  renewed  nature,  then,  not  to  teach  me  far 
more  still?  To  what  other  nature  are  such  words  as 
these  addressed  :  "  Whatsoever  things  are  true,  whatso- 
ever things  are  honest,  whatsoever  things  are  just,  what- 
soever things  are  pure,  whatsoever  things  are  lovely, 
whatsoever  things  are  of  good  report,  if  there  be  any 
virtue,  and  if  there  be  any  praise,  think  on  these  things." 

Yes,  God  in  his  word  has  addressed  us,  not  as  men  of 
perverted  reason,  but  as  accountable  beings.  If  we  out 
of  generals  collect  not  particulars,  and  infer  not  from 
plain  grounds  the  necessary  conclusions,  wo  is  unto  us : 
it  will  go  ill  with  us  in  this  world,  and  in  that  also  which 
is  to  come.  It  becomes  not  the  majesty  of  God  to  trifle 
with  his  creatures ;  and  if,  in  his  public  edicts,  his  mind 
is  expressed,  it  were  unworthy  of  him  to  descend  to  what 
is  already  enough  revealed.  In  his  word  I  expect  that  a 
grandeur  will  be  found  worthy  of  the  supreme  Lord  of  all ; 
and  I  adore  Him,  that,  having  put  the  heart  right,  he  hath 
in  many  ways  left  room  for  all  to  ascertain  whether  it 


FAMILY  DEVOTION.  317 

really  is  so.  If,  therefore,  nature  itself  is  supposed  in 
Scripture  to  teach  me  so  much,  assuredly  the  renewed 
nature  is  there  also  supposed  to  teach  me  much  more. 

These  observations  may  enable  the  reader  to  account 
for  the  fact,  that  the  world  had  gone  on  for  many  ages, 
and  been  favored  too  with  no  small  portion  of  divine 
revelation,  without  prayer,  in  any,  form,  having  been  once 
enjoined  or  instituted  as  a  duty,  whether  in  the  closet,  the 
family,  or  the  church ;  a  division,  by  the  way,  which, 
though  proper  enough  for  the  sake  of  illustration,  is  but 
of  comparatively  modern  date.  No ;  from  the  beginning 
the  piety  of  the  heart  led  men  to  take  up  this  subject  in 
the  only  way  which  was  natural,  and  proper,  and  safe  ; 
from  the  beginning  such  men  had  always  prayed  and 
worshipped,  and  that  thousands  of  years  before  Paul  had 
said  to  Timothy — "I  will  that  men  pray  everywhere,  lifting 
up  holy  hands,  without  wrath  and  doubting." 

The  very  first  injunction  in  Scripture,  therefore,  re- 
specting such  a  moral  duty,  was  likely  to  occur  not  in  the 
way  of  positive  institution,  as  something  which  then  only 
had  begun  to  be  incumbent,  and  then  only  to  be  begun, 
and  much  less  something  which  was  before  unknown. 
Accordingly,  it  turns  out,  that  the  "  first  injunction  re- 
specting prayer,  in  the  Volume  of  Inspiration,  the  terms 
of  which  regard  it,  as  in  any  sense  generally  obligatory, 
does  not  occur  until  the  world  was  at  least  three  thousand 
years  old,  and  the  Jewish  church  about  eight  hundred.* 
Perhaps  the  passage  which  might  be  styled  the  second, 
does  not  occur  till  at  least  two  hundred  years  later. t" 

At  the  same  time,  the  manner,  the  seasons,  the  spirit, 
the  constancy,  the  universality  of  prayer,  as  the  attendant 
of  piety,  I  find  scattered  over  the  whole  volume,  from  the 
earliest  times.  Nay,  it  is  not  a  little  remarkable,  that  the 

*  Psalm  cxxii.  6.  t  Jerem.  xxix.  7. 

27* 


318  FAMILY  DEVOTION. 

very  first  passage  in  which  prayer  is  recorded,  happens  to 
be  the  supplication  of  a  Parent — the  fervent  wish  of  a 
Father  for  his  Son;*  and  the  very  next  presents  this 
same  Parent  before  us,  interceding  with  peculiar  earnest- 
ness for  the  vilest  of  men.t 

To  return,  however ;  let  it  be  observed,  that  th©  human 
family,  being  of  God's  own  creation  and  institution,  it 
owes  him,  on  this  account,  corresponding  acknowledgment 
and  worship.  All  his  works,  in  all  places  of  his  dominion, 
are  therefore  called  upon  to  praise  him.  AH  things  which 
have  been  made  by  him,  were  made/br  him  ;  and  if  this 
was  the  end  he  had  in  view,  when  nature  itself  was 
framed,  it  was  especially  the  end  with  regard  to  man,  in 
his  individual,  and  relative,  and  social  capacity.  If  this 
is  true,  as  to  nature  in  all  its  branches,  it  is  still  more  so 
of  the  system  as  a  whole  :  if  it  is  true  of  the  individual, 
it  is  still  more  so  of  the  systems  or  constitutions  which  he 
has  framed  :  if  true,  of  the  man  as  a  solitary  being,  still 
more  so  of  the  Family  :  if  true,  as  to  the  Christian,  still 
more  so  of  the  Church, 

With  regard  to  a  Family,  in  particular,  it  is  more 
especially  bound  to  own  its  dependence  and  subjection  to 
its  Divine  author,  because  it  is  the  foundation  or  first 
cause  of  all  society,  whether  moral,  political,  or  religious. 
Hence  Abraham  obtained  the  testimony  of  God's  highest 
approbation  :  hence,  long  before  the  Mosaic  economy  was 
in  existence,  there  were  sacrifices  peculiar  to  families,  as 
already  noticed,  when  the  Father  acted  as  the  administra- 
tor. Thus,  Job  offered  burnt-offerings  for  himself  and  for 
his  Children,  and  Jacob  for  his.  This  is  particularly 
worthy  of  remark,  since,  though  we  have  no  intimation 
whatever  on  the  subject,  there  must  have  been  a  revela- 
tion here  from  God ;  for  though  the  duty  rises  necessarily 

*  Gen.  xvii.  18.  t  Gen.  xviii.  24. 


FAMILY  DEVOTION.  319 

out  of  the  Constitution  itself,  the  form  of  it  must  have 
been  regulated  by  his  will.  For  the  office  and  duty  of  a 
priest,  or  an  offerer  of  family  sacrifices,  neither  Job  nor 
Jacob  had  their  warrant  from  the  light  or  law  of  nature. 
Such  an  office  depended  on  institution  ;  and  this  institu- 
tion proves  to  demonstration  the  early  and  peculiar  regard 
of  God  for  the  family  of  human  beings.  Nor  did  even 
the  Mosaic  economy  altogether  abolish  a  practice,  which 
stood  on  far  more  ancient  grounds.  So  the  family  of 
Jesse  had  a  yearly  sacrifice,  that  is,  a  free-will  offering  and 
sacred  feast,  when  the  various  branches  all  assembled, 
even  in  mature  life,  to  acknowledge  a  source  from  whence 
they  had  derived  such  blessings,*  Granting  that,  in  this 
instance,  the  whole  were  pretended,  no  such  pretence 
would  have  been  sustained,  had  such  things  not  been 
customary,  to  a  certain  extent,  although  not  so  frequent  as 
in  the  patriarchal  age,  or  before  the  appointment  of  the 
tribe  of  Lev!  to  act  as  priests. 

Independently,  however,  of  all  this  evidence  with  any 
rational  Christian  Parent,  I  may  confirm  and  establish  his 
mind  on  much  higher  ground  than  even  that  which  these 
pointed  examples  afford.  To  such  a  Parent  I  might  say 
— "  Without  hesitation,  you  will  admit  that  your  obliga- 
tions to  your  family  are  to  be  measured  now,  and  on  the 
day  of  final  account,  by  your  capacity — as  a  Man  by 
your  natural,  as  a  Christian  by  your  spiritual  capacity  1 
And  however  you  may  feel  conscious  of  falling  short  daily, 
that  you  are  under  obligation  to  honor  God  to  the  utmost 
limit  of  this  capacity?  You  will  also  allow  that,  standing 
where  you  do,  you  are  not  now,  like  a  solitary  orphan 
without  relatives,  to  be  regarded  only  as  a  single  individ- 
ual ?  God  himself,  your  Creator,  your  Saviour,  and  your 
Judge,  regards  you  as  the  head  of  a.  family,  and  therefore, 

*  1  Samuel  xx.  6. 


320  FAMILY  DEVOTION. 

in  possession  of  a  sacred  trust,  you  have  the  care  of  souls. 
Now,  if  you  really  do  measure  obligation  by  capacity,  then 
will  you  also  at  once  allow,  that  you  must  do  what  you 
can,  that  He  may,  from  your  Family,  have  as  much  honor 
as  possible. 

Without  hesitation  you  will  also  allow  that  God  daily 
preserves  you?  And  does  he  not  also  preserve  your 
Family  1  But  if  he  preserves,  he  has  a  right  of  property 
in  each  and  all  under  your  roof.  Shall  He  not,  therefore, 
have  from  you  acknowledgment  of  this  ?  If  daily  he 
preserves,  shall  he  not  be  daily  acknowledged  ?  And  if 
acknowledged  at  all,  how  ought  he  to  be  so,  if  not  upon 
your  knees  ?  And  how  can  they  know  this,  if  they  do  not 
hear  it  ? 

Without  hesitation  you  will  also  allow  that  you  are  a 
social  as  well  as  a  reasonable  being'?  And  often  have 
you,  therefore,  felt  how  much  the  soothing  influence  of 
their  sweet  society  has  sustained  you  under  cares,  and 
trials,  and  grief  itself.  O  !  surely  then,  as  a  social  being, 
you  owe  to  them  social  worship ;  nor  should  you  ever 
forget,  that,  in  ancient  days,  there  was  social  worship 
here  before  it  could  be  any  where  else.  Nay,  even  after 
the  gates  of  Zion  were  known,  next  to  them,  Jehovah 
continued  to  love  the  dwellings  of  Jacob.  And  why? 
Because,  though  less  public,  they  furnished  the  nearest 
resemblance  to  those  gates ;  and  his  regard  for  the  Church 
is  magnified  by  its  rising  above  that  of  the  Family.  The 
love  of  God  is  represented  as  being  greater  in  degree ;  it 
was  therefore  on  the  same  account. 

To  some  minds,  the  obligation  to  Family  Worship  will 
receive  additional  support,  from  reference  to  the  connec- 
tion in  which  prayer  is  enforced.  But  before  noticing 
this,  it  may  be  remarked,  that  between  all  the  relative 
duties  incumbent  on  man,  there  is  not  only  a  powerful 
and  natural  connection,  but  the  performance  of  one  such 


FAMILY  DEVOTION.  321 

duty  often  only  lays  the  foundation  for  the  performance  of 
others,  or  naturally  leads  to  them  as  incumbent.  The 
division  of  the  Sacred  Writings  into  chapters  and  verses, 
useful  only  for  reference,  has  not  only  obscured  this  con- 
nection, but,  in  the  course  of  ages,  it  has  created  a 
number  of  false  associations,  as  well  as  prevented  many 
from  feeling,  as  they  ought,  the  indissoluble  obligations 
under  which  they  are  laid.  This  connection  is  indeed 
apparent,  and  often  striking,  even  as  the  Scriptures  are 
generally  printed ;  but,  owing  to  the  divisions  referred 
to,  it  requires  to  be  much  more  frequently  pointed  out.* 

Thus,  after  the  relative  duties  of  Parent  and  Child,  of 
Servant  and  Master,  are  mentioned  by  Paul  in  his  Epis- 
tles to  the  Ephesians  and  Colossians,  and  by  Peter  in 

*  There  are  few  subjects  which  a  public  expositor  should  be 
more  solicitous  that  his  hearers  should  comprehend,  than  that  of 
the  connection  of  divine  truth,  or  the  manner  in  which  it  is  intro- 
duced to  the  notice,  or  enforced  on  the  conscience,  of  the  reader ; 
and  it  is  one  which  has  become  far  more  binding  on  us,  whether 
ministers  or  hearers,  owing  to  the  universal  use  of  Bibles,  divided 
by  fallible  men  into  chapters  and  verses — ll  a.  singular  destiny  to 
which  no  other  book  has  ever  been  subjected  !  In  all  other  works, 
the  index,  or  concordance,  or  subordinate  matter,  is  fashioned  so  as 
to  be  subordinate  to  the  original  work  j  but  in  the  Bible  alone,  the 
text  and  substance  of  the  word  is  disfigured,  in  order  to  be  adapted 
to  the  concordance  that  belongs  to  it !  (a  book,  by  the  way,  which 
many  a  reader  never  saw),  and  hence  the  notion  of  its  being  pe- 
rused has  been  too  often  sacrificed  to  that  of  its  being  referred  to. 
In  consequence  of  this  division,  too,  the  Bible  is  to  the  eye,  upon 
opening  it,  rather  a  book  of  reference  than  a  book  of  perusal  and 
study ;  and  it  is  to  be  feared  that  this  circumstance  makes  it  more 
frequently  used  merely  as  such.  At  least  it  is  far  too  often  referred 
to  for  verifying  a  quotation  merely ;  and  then,  without  observing 
the  preceding  or  following  context,  which  stands  as  so  much  inde- 
pendent matter,  it  is  shut  or  returned  to  the  shelf.  Now,  what 
book  can  be  fundamentally  understood  if  consulted  only  in  this 
manner  ?"t  Indeed,  of  all  the  ordeals  through  which  any  work 
ever  passed,  I  know  not  one  which,  in  itself,  is  more  calculated  to 

t  See  the  Introduction  to  Reeve's  Bible. 


322  FAMILY  DEVOTION. 

his  First  Epistle,  it  has  been  remarked,  that  the  subject 
of  prayer,  one  of  the  most  important  branches  of  Family 
Worship,  is  introduced.  In  the  Colossians  this  connec- 
tion is  very  obvious  and  striking.  "  Masters,  give  unto 
your  Servants  that  which  is  just  and  equal :  knowing  that 
ye  also  have  a  Master  in  heaven — Continue  in  prayer, 
and  watch  in  the  same  with  thanksgiving." 

In  conclusion,  I  query  if  that  beautiful  form  of  prayer 
which  our  blessed  Lord  gave  to  his  followers,  does  not 
involve  an  argument  in  favor  of  Family  prayer,  nay,  of 
daily  Family  devotion.  It  is  worthy  of  remark,  that,  in 
the  sixth  chapter  of  Matthew,  after  he  had  directed  his 
disciples  with  regard  to  private  prayer,  he  did  not  stop 
there.  In  the  seventh  verse,  he  begins  to  use  the  plural 
number,  and,  proceeding  to  a  social  act  of  worship,  he 

mislead,  and  one  which,  if  it  is  not  guarded  against,  habitually,  by 
the  reader,  will  more  effectually  conceal  from  him  its  force  or  drift, 
as  well  as  its  beauties.  To  this  simple  circumstance  alone  may  be 
traced  whole  libraries  of  woidy  and  unprofitable  religious  contro- 
versy. It  has  shattered  the  line  of  argument  into  fragments,  and 
has  minced  the  fine  and  powerful  vein  of  thought  into  separate  and 
detached  aphorisms.  If  these  endless  divisions  (useful  only  for 
reference)  are  not  vigilantly  watched,  the  divine  thread  of  a  histori- 
cal detail,  and  the  beautiful  lines  of  a  parabolical  picture,  will  not 
be  observed,  or  they  will  be  misunderstood — the  nature  and  genius 
pf  Hebrew  poetry,  on  which  the  pith  and  argument  of  its  stanza 
may  depend,  and  the  occasionally  abrupt,  yet  irresistible  and  cor- 
rectly logical  conclusions  of  Paul,  have  suffered  equally  from  the 
same  cause.  This  circumstance,  in  itself  so  insignificant,  is,  how- 
ever, of  such  moment,  that  it  is  impossible  to  say  how  much  it  lias 
contributed  to  misunderstanding  among  Christians,  or  how  far  it 
has  thrown  us  back  in  understanding  the  record  itself.  In  the 
meanwhile  the  reader  should,  at  least,  be  aware  of  its  having  so  far 
marred  the  moral  symmetry  of  divine  revelation.  One  day,  in 
England,  several  years  ago,  I  recollect  of  its  being  remarked  as  a 
feature  in  the  character  of  some  Christians  resident  in  North  Brit- 
ain, that,  upon  any  quotation  from  Scripture  being  introduced  on  a 
given  subject,  if  any  question  arose,  they  would  say,  But  what  is 
the  connection  ?  Were  this  practice  universal,  the  advantages 
would  be  incalculable. 


FAMILY  DEVOTION.  323 

refers  to  the  prayers  of  such  as  could  pray  together  daily. 
In  this  most  comprehensive  prayer,  after  giving  to  God 
that  place  and  honor  which  corresponds  to  the  first  table 
of  the  moral  law,  he  descends  to  matters  of  daily  and 
common  interest  in  a  family ;  and  among  these,  here  in- 
structing the  poorest  Parent  how  to  dismiss  inordinate 
anxiety  as  to  the  common  provision  for  this  little  band,  he 
directs  him  to  pray — "  Our  Father  who  art  in  heaven — 
give  us  this  day  our  daily  bread."  The  petition  imme- 
diately preceding  this  had  been — "  thy  will  be  done  on 
earth  as  it  is  done  in  heaven."  Now,  I  would  only  ask, 
if,  over  the  wide  world,  the  will  of  God  were  done,  by 
whom  would,  nay,  by  whom  could  this  petition,  in  general, 
fall  to  be  offered,  if  not  by  the  Parent  at  the  head  of  his 
Family,  to  whom,  as  an  instrument  under  God,  we  look 
for  the  provision  of  such  daily  sustenance  1  Or,  I  ask, 
can  a  more  beautiful  morning-picture  be  conceived,  than 
that  of  the  Fathers  below  thus  beginning  the  day  ?  Mean- 
while, should  the  solitary  Christian,  retiring  to  his  closet, 
and  carrying  the  social  spirit  of  Christianity  along  with 
him,  use  this  form,  unquestionably  he  will  be  heard ;  and 
in  the  house  of  God,  leaving  the  world  behind  us,  let  us 
do  the  same  occasionally,  but  still  in  form  and  spirit,  this 
will  ever  remain  a  week-day  social  Family  prayer. 

II.  The  Abuse  of  Family  Worship. — The  obligation 
to  this  delightful  duty  being  fully  admitted,  before  pro- 
ceeding to  the  subject  itself,  I  cannot  help  noticing  one 
most  melancholy  and  dangerous  prostitution  of  it ;  I  mean 
the  form  without  the  power.  Thousands,  at  least  in  this 
country,  profess  to  feel  a  horror  of  such  a  translation  of 
Scripture  as  this — "  Do  penance,  and  believe  the  Gospel." 
The  vows  and  the  satisfactions  of  antichrist  we  denounce  ; 
but  what  is  the  form  of  Family  Worship,  by  unregenerate 
Parents,  if  not  penance  1  And  such  assuredly  it  is  often 


324  FAMILY  DEVOTION. 

felt  to  be  by  both  Parents  and  Children.  In  some  Fami- 
lies this  form  is  only  occasional ;  in  others  it  is  gone 
about  regularly,  perhaps  once  a-week,  on  Sabbath-day,  or 
only  on  Sabbath-evening.  Now,  I  not  only  inquire,  where 
is  the  authority,  but  what  is  the  use  of  all  this  ?  A  bur- 
den, at  best,  on  the  head  of  the  Family,  it  is,  at  the  same 
time,  rendering  Christianity  itself  disgusting  to  all  under 
that  roof.  And  why  should  not  the  sound  of  such  a  form 
be  as  painful  to  my  ear  as  the  sound  of  the  monastic 
whip  1  With  the  body,  separated  from  the  soul,  what  can 
we  do  1  After  death,  the  fairest  frame  must  soon  be  con- 
signed by  us  to  its  native  element,  the  dust ;  and  what, 
then,  can  the  Almighty  do  with  the  form  of  godliness 
without  the  power  ?  Offensive  to  him,  must  it  not  very 
soon  also  be  removed  entirely  out  of  his  sight? 

Have  I  a  reader,  at  any  time,  who  is  disposed  to  object 
here,  and  say,  "But  how  is  all  this?  After  lamenting 
over  the  degeneracy  and  the  wide-spreading  ungodliness 
of  the  times,  that  fruitful  subject  of  declamation  in  every 
age,  have  I  not  heard  my  very  minister  address  himself  to 
the  prayerless  families  in  his  audience,  and  exhort  them, 
in  so  many  words,  to  set  up,  as  he  called  it,  Family  Wor- 
ship ?  Did  he  not  represent  this  to  them  as  a  good  work, 
and  urge  them  to  lose  no  time,  but  immediately  to  begin 
it?"*  All  this,  my  friend,  is  very  probable.  Not  only 
have  such  indiscriminate,  not  to  say  unskilful  and  unwise 
addresses  been  tendered  from  the  pulpit ;  they  have  been 
issued  from  the  press.  If  you  happen,  however,  to  have 
perused  these  pages  thus  far,  I  hope  it  is  not  expecting 
too  much,  when  I  suppose  that,  next  to  the  importance  of 
the  truths  and  duties  revealed  in  Scripture,  you  now  place 

*  By  immediate  in  this  connection,  the  author  means  next  in  or- 
der;  and  hence  represents  the  duty  referred  to  as  not  the  immediate 
one,  though  he  holds  that  there  should  be  no  delay  in  its  perform- 
ance.— AMER.  EDITOR. 


FAMILY  DEVOTION.  325 

the  order  of  these,  whether  in  the  way  of  enforcement  on 
our  part  or  compliance  on  yours  ?  and  that  if  this  order  is 
disregarded  either  by  us  or  you,  the  consequences  may  be 
very  serious  indeed. 

.Yes  ;  if  the  thing  itself,  the  form  only  of  Family  Wor- 
ship is  painful*  the  manner  in  which  it  has  been  actually 
enforced  by  some,  and  in  effect  by  others,  is  in  some  re-i 
spects  much  more  so.  And,  oh!  could  I  hope  to  reach 
the  ear  of  men  professing  to  be  the  ministers  of  Christ,  nay, 
of  many  who  really  are  so,  who  thus  address  an  audience, 
I  should  respectfully,  but  very  seriously  entreat  them  to 
reflect,  and  earnestly  remonstrate  with  them.  To  such  I 
would  say,  "  You  know  well  that  there  is  such  a  thing  as 
being  '  unskilful  in  the  word  of  righteousness  ! '  and  what 
if  this  should  prove  an  unskilfulness  for  which  there  is  no 
apology  ?  Surely  there  is  a  line,  an  all-important  line  of 
distinction,  between  illustrating  a  subject — explaining' 
man's  obligation — taking  both  as  evidences  of  present  guilt 
and  present  danger)  on  the  one  hand,  and  our  enforcing 
an  IMMEDIATE  compliance  on  the  other  ?  For  a  man  to 
neglect  the  former  is  an  error  of  great  magnitude,  but  the 
last  error  is  worse  than  the  first.  Indeed,  with  the  solitary 
exception  of  those  ideas  and  arguments,  warnings  and  in- 
vitations, which  involve  the  necessity  and  obligation  of 
immediate  conversion  to  God,  of  immediate  repentance 
towards  God  and  faith  towards  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the 
last  error  is,  in  fact,  driving  down  all  that  we  have  built. 

Between  a  man's  various  obligations  and  his  immediate 
obligation,  I  would  farther  say,  there  is  an  essential  differ- 
ence ;  a  difference  by  which  the  whole  course  of  our  min- 
istry should  be  regulated,  so  as  that  it  should  be  not  only 
seen,  but,  if  possible,  felt  by  all.  This  distinction  with 
their  fellow-creatures  multitudes  observe  daily,  and  why 
should  not  we  in  a  ministry  for  God  ?  You  desire  your 
Servant  to  pay  for  you  a  sum  of  money,  and,  in  order  to 
28 


326  FAMILY  DEVOTION. 

this,  desire  him  also  to  go  and  receive  the  amount  from 
another  individual  to  meet  the  demand.  To  pay  the 
money  is  his  duty  ;  and  you  blame  him  if  he  does  not  do 
so ;  but  this  was  not  his  immediate  duty.  The  obligation 
of  every  man  to  worship  God  in  his  family,  equally  with 
every  other  Christian  duty,  is  undoubted ;  "since  it  is  the 
duty  of  every  man  to  repent  and  believe  the  Gospel.  This 
obligation,  too,  has  been  already  illustrated  when  enforc- 
ing Family  Government ;  but  still  this  is  not  the  first  and 
present  business  of  the  unregenerate  man.  To  this,  as 
yet,  even  God  does  not  call  him,  nor  must  we.  The  con- 
version of  the  soul  itself,  and  not  the  result  of  such  con- 
version, is  his  immediate  concern.  To  disregard  this 
order,  much  more  to  confound  it,  is  at  our  peril ;  for, 
instead  of  awakening  this  individual,  the  usual  issue  with 
persons  attempting  Christian  duties,  without  an  interest 
in  Christ  himself,  will  be  the  result.  Whatever  duty  you 
thus  enforce,  and  tell  him  to  begin  and  try,  so  far  as  your 
direction  goes,  it  will  first  delude — then  harden, — and,  if 
God  himself  do  not  interpose,  ultimately  destroy  him. 

Let  any  man  know,  if  you  will,  and  as  you  ought,  that 
Family  Worship,  in  all  its  branches,  is  his  incumbent 
duty  :  if  you  will,  and  as  you  ought,  take  his  neglect  of  it 
as  an  evidence  of  his  living  without  God,  and  of  the  divine 
displeasure  resting  on  him  and  his  house  ;  or  if  he  has 
been  attempting  it  in  form  only,  take  this  also  as  an 
evidence  of  his  being  far  gone  indeed  in  self-deception ; 
but,  oh  !  be  not  you  the  instrument  of  such  a  man  sitting 
down  in  self-satisfaction. 

It  is  true,  indeed,  that,  in  the  wide  and  delightful  com- 
pass of  Divine  Revelation,  I  have  many  subjects  which  I 
must  both  illustrate  and  enforce;  but  I  believe  my  minis- 
try, with  all  its  imperfections,  will  be  acceptable,  only  in 
proportion  as  I  naturally  and  forcibly,  or,  in  other  words, 
scripturally  introduce  them  ;  not  in  the  way  of  requesting 


.  FAMILY  DEVOTION.  327 

the  unconverted  to  conform  immediately,  which  they  can- 
not do,  but  in  the  way  of  argument  or  evidence,  enforcing 
from  each,  the  absolute  and  immediate  necessity  of  repent- 
ance towards  God,  and  faith  towards  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ.  Oh  !  how  many  are  the  arguments  which  are 
thus  presented  !  Happy  and  useful  must  that  minister  be 
who  hath  his  quiver  full  of  them  !  Coming  round,  then, 
always,  naturally,  to  this  one  point,  I  may  then  succeed, 
not  in  prevailing  with  a  man  merely  to  begin  a  form  only, 
but  iri  causing  him  to  arise  and  go  to  his  Father:  in 
causing  him  to  return  home  to  God  through  Christ  Jesus 
alone.  I  grant  that  this  is  not  to  be  learnt  in  a  day  ;  and 
I  am  aware  that  it  has  been  asked — "  But  how  can  you 
do  this  ?  There  are  some,  if  not  various  things  revealed 
in  Scripture,  to  which  one  must  advert,  which  seem  to 
have  little  or  no  connection  with  repentance  and  faith  in 
the  first  instance."  Indeed !  Then  I  answer,  that,  like  a 
village  which  has  no  road  to  the  capital,  if  you  are  draw- 
ing up  a  map  of  the  country,  it  is  of  no  moment  though 
you  leave  all  such  out  of  it.  But  what  if,  after  this,  not 
having  traced  the  land  with  sufficient  care,  it  should  be 
shown  to  you,  that  there  is  such  a  road,  direct  and  easy, 
and  that  from  this  village  too,  it  is  even  a  part  of  the 
king's  highway  ?  Then  does  it  become  your  business  to 
trace  this  road,  otherwise  your  map  will  at  last  be  found 
defective  and  even  dangerous.  So,  undoubtedly,  if  we 
study  divine  truth,  in  all  its  inimitably  beautiful  connec- 
tions, and  study  it,  as  we  ought,  deeply ;  between  every 
feeling,  and  doctrine,  and  duty,  personal,  relative,  and 
social,  of  the  Christian,  and  conversion  to  God,  we  shall 
find  a  natural  and  necessary  connection.  Hence  the 
necessity  for  giving  ourselves  wholly  to  these  things : 
hence  the  necessity  for  being  "  skilful  in  the  word  of 
righteousness." 

The  manner  of  addressing   the   unconverted,   is   the 


328  FAMILY  DEVOTION. 

grand  trial  of  every  minister's  skill ;  and  by  every  man  it 
requires  to  be  deeply  studied,  otherwise  the  enforcement 
and  the  performance  of  penance,  under  another  name, 
must  ensue.  To  my  younger  brethren  in  the  ministry, 
especially,  I  would  therefore  earnestly  recommend  this 
subject ;  and  to  them,  in  particular,  I  would  still  farther 
most  affectionately  address  a  few  considerations  of  no  in- 
ferior  moment. 

If  all  duty  consists  in  the  genuine  operations  and  ex- 
pressions of  the  heart,  be  careful  how  you  at  any  time, 
and  in  any  way,  compromise  this  matter  with  any  part  of 
your  audience,  however  attentively  they  listen,  while  as 
yet  they  give  no  evidence  of  a  heart  reconciled  to  God. 
You  may  indeed,  and  you  ought  to  illustrate  many  sub- 
jects, and  show  wherein  our  obligation  to  comply  consists ; 
but  should  you,  forgetting  yourself,  urge  them  to  com- 
mence external  actions,  or  any  such  exercises  as  may  be 
performed  without  the  love  of  God,  what  is  this  but  un- 
wittingly betraying  the  just  authority  of  God  over  the 
heart,  and  admitting  the  performance  of  that,  which,  if 
offered  to  yourself  from  a  fellow-creature,  you  would  de- 
spise? Nor  is  such  an  address  less  injurious  to  your 
hearers,  than  it  is  derogatory  to  the  authority  of  God.  It 
will  tend  fatally  to  quiet  their  consciences,  and  to  cherish 
an  opinion,  that,  having  complied  with  your  request,  they 
are  doing  that  which  is  pleasing  and  acceptable  to  God. 
You  may  think  that  this  is  bearing  hard  upon  the  uncon- 
verted, and  reducing  them  to  a  terrible  situation.  This  I 
admit ;  but  since  such  is  the  situation  of  every  man  in  a 
state  of  nature,  so  far  from  improving  this  by  palliation, 
by  saying  that  you  hope  better  things  of  them  though  you 
thus  speak,  or  exhorting  them  to  worship  God  in  the  first 
instance,  or  in  the  best  manner  they  can,  you  are  only 
rendering  their  situation  still  more  terrible  !  Think,  too, 
for  a  moment,  on  the  actual  cruelty  of  such  mode  of 


FAMILY  DEVOTION.  329 

address.  It  is  calculated  to  render  the  unconverted  easy 
while  yet  in  danger ;  and  is  not  this  cruel  1  Instead  of 
rendering  the  situation  of  those  under  your  eye  easy,  it 
certainly  ought  to  be  your  aim  to  move  them  from  every 
refuge,  not  for  the  sake  of  plunging  them  into  despair,  but 
that,  through  you,  they  may  submit  to  the  righteousness 
of  God,  and  flee  for  refuge  to  the  hope  set  before  them  in 
the  Gospel ;  that  through  you  the  justification  of  which 
God  approves,  may,  by  faith  in  Jesus,  become  all  their 
own.  Most  solemnly,  therefore,  ought  you  often  to  assure 
this  part  of  your  audience,  that,  do  what  else  they  may, 
their  case  is  daily  waxing  worse  and  worse !  If  they  pro- 
fess to  pray,  and  do  frequent  the  house  of  God,  there  is 
in  this,  to  God,  while  they  so  remain,  nothing  accepta- 
ble, and  yet  to  absent  themselves  will  make  matters 
worse.  Whether  they  eat  or  drink,  wax  rich  or  poor, 
plough  the  soil  or  the  deep,  gather  in  the  harvest,  or  bet- 
ter their  condition  in  this  world,  all  is  iniquity  !  "  Incense 
is  an  abomination  :  it  is  iniquity  even  the  solemn  meeting." 
To  die,  you  have  to  say,  is  to  be  plunged  in  endless  wo; 
yet  to  live,  if  in  enmity  or  indifference,  is  much  worse : 
since  this  is,  alas !  only  heaping  up  wrath  against  the  day 
of  wrath. 

"  But  what,"  it  will  be  said,  under  such  preaching, 
"  what  can  mankind  do  1  If  they  go  forward,  it  seems 
destruction  awaits  them;  if  on  this  hand  or  on  that  it  is  still 
the  same."  And  was  it  otherwise  with  the  hearers  of  a 
Peter  or  a  Paul,  who  excited  such  cries  as  these — "What 
must  I  do  to  be  saved  ?  Men  and  brethren,  what  shall  we 
do?"  All  the  answers,  then,  which  you  can  give,  and 
which  you  need  to  give,  are  contained,  in  great  variety, 
in  the  Sacred  Volume. 

With  regard  to  repentance  towards  God  : — "  I  came," 
said  Jesus,  "  to  call  sinners  to  repentance.  I  came  to  heal 
the  broken-hearted."  "Him,"  said  Peter,  "hath  God 
28* 


330  FAMILY  DEVOTION. 

exalted  to  his  right  hand,  a  Prince  and  a  Saviour,  to  give 
repentance  to  Israel  and  the  remission  of  sins."  Jesus 
therefore  preached,  "  Repent  ye,  and  believe  the  Gospel." 
His  apostles  "  went  out  and  preached  that  men  should 
repent."  "  Repent  ye,  therefore,"  said  Peter,  "  and  be 
converted,  that  your  sins  may  be  blotted  out."  "  For 
God,"  said  Paul,  "  now  commandeth  all  men  everywhere 
to  repent."  "  I  showed,"  said  he,  "  first  to  them  of  Da- 
mascus and  at  Jerusalem,  and  throughout  all  the  coast  of 
Judea,  and  then  to  the  Gentiles,  that  they  should  repent 
and  turn  to  God,  and  do  works  meet  for  repentance."  "Ye 
know — how  I  kept  back  nothing  that  was  profitable  unto 
you,  but  have  showed  you,  and  have  taught  you,  publicly 
and  from  house  to  house,  testifying  both  to  the  Jews  and 
also  to  the  Greeks,  repentance  toward  God,  and  faith 
toward  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ." 

As  to  faith,  hear  our  blessed  Redeemer  himself  how  he 
addressed  his  hearers  : — "  While  ye  have  the  light,  be- 
lieve in  the  light,  that  ye  may  be  the  children  of  light." 
"I  am  the  light  of  the  world  :  he  that  followeth  me,  shall 
not  walk  in  darkness,  but  have  the  light  of  life."  "  This 
is  the  will  of  him  that  sent  me,  that  every  one  that  seeth 
the  Son,  and  believeth  on  him,  should  have  everlasting 
life;  and  I  will  raise  him  up  at  the  last  day.  Verily, 
verily,  I  say  unto  you,  he  that  heareth  my  word,  and  be- 
lieveth on  him-  that  sent  me,  hath  everlasting  life,  and 
shall  not  come  into  condemnation,  but  is  passed  from 
death  unto  life."  "  The  Father,"  said  John  the  Baptist, 
"  loveth  the  Son,  and  hath  given  all  things  into  his  hand. 
He  that  believeth  on  the  Son  hath  everlasting  life ;  and 
he  that  believeth  not  the  Son  shall  not  see  life,  but  the 
wrath  of  God  abideth  on  him."  "  These  things,"  said 
John  the  Evangelist,  "  are  written  that  ye  might  believe 
that  Jesus  is  the  Christ,  and  that  believing  ye  might  have 
life  through  his  name."  "  The  word  is  nigh  thee,"  said 


FAMILY  DEVOTION.  331 

Paul,  "  in  thy  mouth  and  in  thy  heart ;  that  is  the  word 
of  faith  which  we  preach  : — that  if  thou  shalt  confess  with 
thy  mouth  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  shalt  believe  in  thine  heart 
that  God  hath  raised  him  from  the  dead,  thou  shalt  be 
saved.  For  with  the  heart  man  believeth  unto  righteous- 
ness (that  is,  justification),  and  with  the  mouth  confession 
is  made  to  salvation ;  for  the  Scripture  saith,  Whosoever 
believeth  in  him  shall  not  be  ashamed.  For  there  is  no 
difference  between  the  Jew  and  the  Gentile;  for  the  same 
Lord  over  all  is  rich  unto  all  who  call  upon  him  ;  for 
whosoever  shall  call  upon  the  name  of  the  Lord  shall  be 
saved."* 

In  conclusion,  however,  on  this  subject,  that  such 
abuses  should  exist,  not  only  in  reference  to  Family  Wor- 
ship, but  worship  in  any  form,  will  not  be  matter  of  sur- 
prise to  any  Christian,  who  well  remembers  where  it  is 
said, — "  This  know  also,  that  in  the  last  days  perilous 
times  shall  come.  For  men  shall  be  lovers  of  their  own 
selves,  covetous,  boasters,  proud,  blasphemers,  disobedient 
to  parents,  unthankful,  unholy,  without  natural  affection, 
truce-breakers,  false  accusers,  incontinent,  fierce,  despisers 
of  those  that  are  good,  traitors,  heady,  high-minded, 
lovers  of  pleasure  more  than  lovers  of  God ;  having  a 
form  of  godliness,  but  denying  the  power  thereof :  from 
such  turn  away." 

III.  The  best  Seasons  for  Family  Devotion. — Obliged 
as  I  am  to  worship  Jehovah  in  my  Family,  and  possessing 
the  only  spirit  which  he  will  or  can  accept  in  every  service 
— a  willing  mind — and  therefore  inclined,  nay,  bent  upon 
this  delightful  service, — then  will  I  find  some  time  for  it, 
and  my  Family  must  find  time  to  come  together.  The 
ordinances  of  day  and  night,  and  the  regularity  of  their 

*  For  several  of  the  sentiments  contained  in  this  division,  see 
Fuller's  Works,  vol.  iv. 


332  FAMILY  DEVOTION. 

succession,  alike  admonish  me  to  regulate  my  affairs  ac- 
cordingly. As  there  is  One  above  who  maketh  the  out- 
goings of  the  morning  to  rejoice,  and  the  evenings  to 
descend  in  peace  over  me,  at  these  seasons  especially 
should  I  acknowledge  him  :  at  these  seasons  should  I  seek 
him  who,  not  only,  in  the  beginning,  made  the  seven  stars 
and  Orion,  the  greater  light  also  to  rule  the  day,  and  the 
lesser  light  to  rule  the  night,  but  who  now  also,  with  so 
much  mercy  and  long-suffering,  and  with  such  regularity, 
"maketh  the  day  dark,  and  it  is  night,  and  then  turneth 
the  shadow  of  death  into  the  morning." 

Have  these  daily  alternations  no  voice  ?  Do  they  carry 
with  them  no  signification  whatever  1  How  was  it  then 
that  the  morning  and  evening  were  so  generally  regarded 
even  by  heathen  nations,  as  the  appropriate  period  for 
some  acknowledgment  of  God  I  And  if  Paul  could  refer 
to  nature's  teaching,  about  a  matter  comparatively  so  in- 
significant as  the  hair  of  the  head,  shall  we  not  here 
appeal  to  the  plain  and  unerring  dictates  of  nature? 
That  we  should  be  compassed  about  daily  with  the  vast 
and  merciful  vicissitudes  of  day  and  night,  without  any 
disposition  to  daily  adoration,  must  argue  great  stupidity 
and  ingratitude  of  mind  indeed.  The  Christian  who 
contemplates  even  the  material  universe  only,  with  the 
persuasion  that  it  is  at  once  the  workmanship  and  the 
property  of  the  Almighty,  cannot  possibly  so  proceed. 
"  It  is  a  good  thing,"  he  says, 

"  It  is  a  good  thing  to  give  thanks  unto  the  Lord, 
And  to  sing  praises  unto  thy  name,  O  most  High : 

To  show  forth  thy  loving-kindness  in  the  morning, 

And  thy  faithfulness  every  night; — 
For  thou,  Lord,  hast  made  me  glad  through  thy  work  : 
I  will  triumph  in  the  works  of  thy  hands." 

The  mind  of  the  sacred  writer  seems  so  fully  made  up  on 
such  principles  as  these,  that  he  immediately  signifies  it  to 


FAMILY  DEVOTION.  333 

be  only  "a  brutish  man"  who  knoweth  not;  nay,  even  a 
fool,  or  foolish  man,  who  doth  not  understand  this.* 

With  regard  to  the  seasons  for  devotion,  however,  we 
are  not  left  to  be  regulated  only  by  the  signs  of  heaven  or 
the  voice  of  nature.  There  have  been  ordinances  of 
divine  service  intended  to  enforce  the  same  subject,  and 
at  these  seasons.  Has  the  reader  never  marked  one  con- 
dition, on  which  Jehovah  condescended  to  meet  with  the 
children  of  Israel  at  the  door  of  the  tabernacle  of  the 
congregation,  and  there  speak  to  them  1 — the  condition, 
on  which  he  would  dwell,  or,  as  Lewis,  in  his  Hebrew 
Antiquities,  has  said  somewhat  quaintly,  "keep  house" 
among  them,  and  be  their  God  1 — the  condition,  on  which 
they  were  from  generation  to  generation  to  be  confirmed 
in  the  persuasion,  that  he  was  the  Lord  their  God  who 
brought  them  forth  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt,  that  he 
might  dwell  amongst  them?  All  these  favors  he  sus- 
pended, upon  condition  of  their  offering,  without  inter- 
mission, the  morning  and  evening  sacrifice.  Now,  if  the 
primary  design  of  these  sacrifices  was  to  remind  the 
people  of  God  at  that  period,  of  the  sacrifice  of  Christ, 
by  which  alone  at  last  they  were  taken  away,  shall  we 
not  remember  Him,  at  these  seasons,  who  was  the  sub- 
stance and  fulfilment  of  them  all  ?  And  even  then, 
when  these  were  offered,  how  are  we  to  suppose  the  in- 
mates were  employed,  at  such  seasons,  in  those  "  dwellings 
of  Jacob"  which  Jehovah  is  represented  as  loving  next 
only  to  the  temple  and  the  temple-worship?  It  would 
even  seem,  that,  when  driven  out,  or  far  separated,  from 
his  tabernacle  or  his  temple,  the  pious  Jew  could  not 
forget  those  devoted  hours.  Looking  in  that  direction, 
his  language  then  was — "  Let  my  prayer  be  set  forth 
before  thee  as  incense,  and  the  lifting  up  of  my  hands  as 
the  evening  sacrifice." 

*  Psalm  xcii.  1—6. 


334  FAMILY  DEVOTION. 

There  are,  however,  other  considerations  than  these, 
which  might  be  adduced,  for  enforcing  the  important  duty 
of  prayer  or  worship,  in  the  morning  and  evening  of  every 
day,  not  only  in  the  chamber,  but  in  the  family.  "  Stated 
and  regular  seasons  are  indispensable  to  the  effectual 
performance  of  all  business.  Method,  proverbially  styled 
the  soul  of  business,  cannot  exist  without  such  seasons. 
Irregularity,  which  is  the  prevention  or  the  ruin  of  all 
valuable  efforts,  grows  of  course  out  of  irregular  distribu- 
tions of  time.  That  which  is  done  at  accidental  seasons 
only,  is  not  done  at  all ;  but  no  duty  demands  regularity 
and  method  more  than  prayer.  There  is  in  all  men 
naturally  a  strong  indisposition  to  pray.  Stated  seasons, 
therefore,  returning  at  regular  periods,  are  peculiarly 
necessary  to  preserve  this  duty  in  its  full  vigor.  He  who 
prays  at  such  seasons,  will  always  remember  this  duty; 
will  form  his  schemes  of  life  so  as  to  provide  the  proper 
place  for  performing  it;  will  be  reproached  by  his  con- 
science for  neglecting  it ;  will  keep  alive  the  spirit  of 
prayer  from  one  season  to  another,  so  as  to  render  the 
practice  delightful ;  and  will  be  preserved,  uninterrupt- 
edly, in  the  practice,  by  the  strong  influence  of  habit.  He 
who  prays  at  accidental  seasons  only,  or  then  in  form 
attends  to  this  exercise,  will  first  neglect,  and  finally  desist 
from  such  a  practice." 

"  Now,  the  morning  and  evening  are  seasons  peculiarly 
fitted  for  the  regular  returns  of  prayer.  They  occur  at 
intervals  perfectly  convenient;  terminate  successively  our 
sleep  and  our  labor ;  are  seasons  necessarily  distinguished; 
remind  us  of  all  that  for  which  we  should  pray ;  and  are 
effectual  means  of  establishing  in  us  imrnoveable  habits  of 
devotion.  They  involve  every  thing,  therefore,  which  can 
be  either  asked  or  wished  for  this  interesting  purpose." 

"As  these  are  seasons  eminently  advantageous  for  secret 
prayer,  so  they  are  almost  the  only  possible  seasons  for  the 


FAMILY  DEVOTION.  335 

united  devotion  of  families.  Then,  and  then  only,  are  all 
the  members  customarily  present ;  then  the  family  business 
is  either  not  begun  or  ended,  and  all  are  at  leisure  to  em- 
ploy themselves  in  the  worship  of  God.  Strangers,  then, 
do  not  intrude,  and  in  this  manner  prevent  the  perform- 
ance of  the  duty.  Every  thing,  therefore,  concurs  at  these 
seasons  to  promote  and  establish  the  method,  regularity, 
and  habit,  which,  necessary  always,  are  indispensable 
where  numbers  are  concerned."* 

IV.  The  profitable  Performance  of  Family  Worship. — 
This  interesting  exercise  is  generally  admitted  to  include 
—Praise — the  perusal  of  the  Sacred  Scriptures — and 
Prayer. 

1.  Family  Praise. — Unquestionably  this  is  one  of  the 
most  delightful  ways  of  "  showing  to  the  generation  to 
come  the  praises  of  the  Lord,  and  his  strength,  and  his 
wonderful  works  that  he  hath  tlone."  To  the  younger 
branches  of  the  household  it  conveys  an  evident  proof, 
that  the  hearts  of  their  Parents  are  touched,  and  that  to 
them  praise  is  pleasant ;  and  long  after  they  are  cold  in 
the  dust,  the  recollection  of  these  hallowed  rnoments  may, 
and,  in  most  instances,  will  return  with  peculiar  and  most 
salutary  effect.  For  what  signifies  all  our  talk,  whether 
to  Children  or  Servants,  if  we  discover  not  at  such  stated 
intervals,  that  our  interest  in  divine  things  has  furnished 
to  us  ground  for  thanksgiving,  and  the  voice  of  melody  ? 
And  since  the  fury  of  the  Almighty  is  in  reserve,  for  the 
Families  that  call  not  upon  his  name,  how  or  where  is 
God  "  daily  to  be  praised,"  if  the  voice  of  rejoicing  and 
salvation  is  not  to  be  heard  in  the  tabernacles  of  the  right- 
eous ?  No,  this  is  an  appropriate,  an  incumbent,  and  a 
comely  exercise ;  and  often  has  it  most  powerfully  com- 
manded the  willing  admiration  of  only  an  occasional  visi- 

*  Dwight. 


336  FAMILY  DEVOTION. 

tant.  When  the  Children  are  all  seated,  according  to 
their  age;  when  every  Servant  knows  at  once,  and  fills 
the  appropriate  place  at  Family  Worship,  and  the  Book  of 
God  is  opened ;  how  is  it,  that,  before  the  Parent  begins, 
the  eye  of  the  Mother,  or  of  the  Christian  friend,  turns  so 
involuntarily  round  the  room  1  Is  it  not  because  Family 
order,  which  is  always  an  interesting  and  pleasing  sight, 
is  now  about  to  show  itself  in  one  of  its  most  endearing 
aspects?  Besides,  when  it  is  remembered,  ala^,  alas!  that 
the  most  affectionate  and  interesting  Family  must  sooner 
or  later  be  broken  up,  in  the  very  songs  of  such  Families, 
there  are  touches  which  must  affect  the  tenderest  strings 
of  the  human  heart.  Hear,  for  example,  while  they  cele- 
brate the  praises  of  their  only  certain  dwelling-place — 
Hear  their  grave  sweet  melody  going  over  such  lines  as 
these : — 

"  Thou,  Lord,  through  ev'ry  changing  scene, 
Hast  to  thy  saints  a  refuge  been ; 
Through  ev'ry  age,  eternal  God, 
Thek  pleasing  home,  their  safe  abode. 

In  thee  our  fathers  sought  their  rest ; 
In  thee  our  fathers  still  are  blest ; 
And  while  the  tomb  confines  their  dust, 
In  thee  their  souls  abide  and  trust. 

So  when  this  pilgrimage  is  o'er, 
And  we  shall  dwell  in  flesh  no  more, 
To  thee  our  sep'rate  souls  shall  come, 
And  find  in  thee  a  surer  home. 

To  thee  our  infant  race  we  leave  : 
Them  may  their  father's  God  receive  ; 
That  voices,  yet  unform'd,  may  raise 
Succeeding  hymns  of  humble  praise." 

The  nature  and  spirit,  as  well  as  the  performance  of 
social  praise,  might  be  farther  explained;  but  as  the 
writer  has  attempted  an  illustration  of  each  of  these, 


FAMILY  DEVOTION.  337 

at  some  length,  elsewhere,  he  need  not  at  present  en- 
large.* 

2.  Perusal  of  the  Sacred  Volume. — This  most  inter- 
esting and  important  branch  of  domestic  religion,  if  at- 
tended to  with  becoming  solemnity,  as  the  voice  of  God, 
cannot  fail  to  acquaint  the  whole  family,  in  a  greater  or 
less  degree,  with  the  general  contents  and  main  design 
of  divine  revelation ;  as,  without  such  daily  perusal  of 
some  portion,  I  may  truly  assert,  not  only  that  some  of 
the  inmates,  whether  Children  or  Servants,  may  and  will 
remain  grossly  ignorant,  but  the  Family,  as  such,  will  be 
found  extremely  confused  and  superficial,  and,  conse- 
quently, at  variance  in  their  ideas  respecting  divine  truth. 
Here,  however,  I  require  to  remind  Parents,  as  the  con- 
ductors of  Family  Worship,  of  the  all-important  distinc- 
tion between  the  Scriptures,  as  a  book,  and  all  other 
volumes  whatever.  Other  volumes  might  be  read  aloud, 
with  some  benefit  to  your  Families,  in  many  frames  of 
mind,  and  some  in  almost  any;  while,  in  regard  to  the 
Inspired  Writings,  every  thing  depends  upon  the  disposi- 
tions in  which  you  generally  open  and  read  them.  There 
are,  in  the  Family,  unprofitable  readers,  and  there  may 
be  even  in  the  pulpit;  but  wherever  these  exist,  the 
baneful  consequence  must  follow :  there  are  to  be  found 
also  unprofitable  hearers,  or  mere  lookers-on ;  and  these 
too,  observe,  as  a  consequence  of  the  dispositions  of  the 
reader.  The  meekest  of  men  could  not  be  permitted  to 
go  over  Jordan  into  Canaan,  because  he  once  "  spake 
unadvisedly  with  his  lips."  What  then  will  become  of 
the  Parent,  and  what  impression  can  he  expect  to  produce, 
who  reads  unadvisedly,  arid  thus  reads  the  words  of  Him 
who  gave  us  existence,  and  wha  is  graciously  unfolding 

*  See  the  Preface  to  an  arranged  Selection  of  Hymns,  adapted  for 
Divine  Worship ;  third  edition,  1823. 

29 


338  FAMILY  DEVOTION. 

those  eternal  truths,  according  to  which  the  final  and 
everlasting  state  of  the  reader,  and  his  hearers,  is  to  be 
unchangeably  determined  ? 

One  essential  disposition,  therefore,  on  the  part  of  a 
Parent,  when  opening  this  book  daily,  is  that  of  reverence. 
Holy  men  of  God  spake  these  words  as  they  were  moved 
by  the  Holy  Spirit ;  how  necessary  then  must  it  be  that 
we  should  read  them  as  influenced  by  Him  ?  One  of 
these  men  said,  "My  heart  standeth  in  awe  of  thy  word,-" 
but  since  his  day,  Jehovah  hath  also  spoken  to  us  by  his 
Son,  and  said  of  Him,  "They  will  reverence  my  Son." 
The  favorite  of  Heaven  is  said  to  be  the  man  who  trem- 
bleth  at  the  word  of  the  Lord ;  but  there  can  be  no  doubt, 
that  such  veneration  is  materially  promoted,  by  a  regular 
and  reverent  perusal  of  the  Sacred  Record  itself.  The 
finest  human  composition  must  lose  somewhat  by  every 
successive  reading,  but  with  the  Inspired  Volume,  famil- 
iarity, far  from  generating  contempt,  absolutely  begets 
reverence ;  while,  for  the  farther  discovery  of  divine  truth, 
this  disposition  is  at  once  indispensable  and  invaluable. 
"In  the  word  of  the  living  God,"  says  such  a  man, 
"should  I  find  any  thing  enjoined,  whether  as  a  matter 
of  faith  or  of  Christian  duty,  conscious  of  its  being  im- 
posed by  that  Father  of  Spirits,  who  has  both  right  to 
enact  laws,  which  must  therefore  be  just,  because  he 
enacts  them,  and  power  to  punish  the  transgression  of 
them  with  no  less  than  eternal  death,  I  then  leave  roving, 
and  see  where  to  cast  anchor.  I  think  it  my  part,  without 
disputing  them,  to  obey  his  orders,  and  acquiesce  more  in 
that  imperious,  '  Thus  saith  the  Lord,'  than  in  a  whole 
dialogue  of  Plato,  or  epistle  of  Seneca.  I  therefore  love 
to  build  my  morals,  as  well  as  my  creed,  upon  the  Rock, 
and  esteeming  nothing  but  the  true,  and  proper,  and  strict 
sense  of  the  Scripture  to  be  indispensably  obligatory,  either 
as  to  faith  or  practice,  it  is  no  wonder  if  I  study  God's 


FAMILY  DEVOTION.  339 

will  most  in  that  book,  wherein  alone  I  think  it  revealed  ; 
and  truly,  finding  in  myself  no  motive  more  justly  preva- 
lent to  obedience  than  his  right  to  exact  it,  who  requires 
it,  few  men  are  more  ready  than  I  am,  in  distinguishing 
what  indeed  God  says,  from  what  man  would  make  him 
say."  In  one  word,  "  I  use  the  Scriptures,  not  as  an 
arsenal,  to  be  resorted  to  only  for  arms  and  weapons  to 
defend  this  or  that  party,  or  to  defeat  its  enemies ;  but  as 
a  matchless  temple  where  I  delight  to  be ;  to  contemplate 
the  beauty,  the  symmetry,  and  the  magnificence  of  the 
structure,  and  to  increase  my  awe,  and  excite  my  devotion 
to  the  Deity  there  preached  and  adored  !  "  * 

Nor  is  gratitude  less  incumbent  in  daily  Family  read- 
ing. It  was  often  said  of  the  posterity  of  Abraham,  and 
first  said  to  them  by  God  himself,  who  alone  knows 
wherein  earthly  happiness  consists,  "  Happy  art  thou,  O 
Israel ;  who  is  like  unto  thee  ? "  And  what  advantage, 
then,  had  the  Jew  ?  and  what  profit  was  there  in  circum- 
cision 1  Much  every  way :  chiefly,  because  that  unto 
them  were  committed  the  Oracles  of  God.  The  Oracles 
of  God ! — which  not  merely  explain  the  cause  of  all 
sorrow  and  of  death  itself,  but  point  out  the  way  to  pardon 
and  perpetual  day ;  which  reveal  a  Saviour,  and  unfold, 
as  far  as  mortal  language  may,  the  glorious  subjects 
which  interest  and  engage,  and  so  fill  the  capacious 
faculties,  as  to  produce  the  homage  of  prostration  in  the 
spirits  of  the  just,  and  the  burning  seraphim  before  the 
throne.  Surely,  then,  gratitude  well  becomes  us  when 
perusing  the  pages  from  which  even  angels  have  derived 
instruction  with  gratitude  ;t  nay,  which  even  the  Messiah 
himself  read  and  expounded,  and  which  he  counselled  us 
to  search.  "  Should  God  have  been  pleased  to  instruct 
us,  as  he  did  Jonah,  by  the  shadow  of  a  weed,  it  had  been 

*  The  Honorable  Robert  Boyle.  t  Ephes.  iii.  10. 


340  FAMILY  DEVOTION. 

our  duty  to  acquiesce;  how  much  more  then,  when  he 
vouchsafes  to  speak  to  us  in  almost  as  glorious  a  manner 
jas  he  did  to  Moses ;  in  a  Scripture  that  hath  such  resem- 
blances to  the  sanctuary  ;  which  contained  the  law  of 
God ;  exhibited  the  mercy-seat ;  and  in  which  the  two 
golden  cherubims,  like  the  two  precious  and  harmonious 
testaments,  lookecf  towards  one  another,  and  both  towards 
the  mercy-seat  that  typified  the  Messias  1 "  Surely,  then, 
it  becomes  us,  "  not  only  with  acquiescence  but  gratitude, 
to  look  upon  God's  having  appointed  the  Scripture  to  be 
the  light  in  which  his  Spirit  regularly  shines  upon  his 
Church,  since  the  luminary  is  as  well  refulgent  as  the 
choice  of  it  His,  whose  blessing  can  prosper  any  means  of 
grace,  as  without  his  blessing  no  means  of  grace  can 
prosper."* 

I  need  scarcely  add  a  disposition  to  receive  as  true 
what  God  has  said,  since  a  captious  spirit  was  one  which 
the  Saviour  himself  regarded  as  the  most  desperate  of 
cases.  "  Why,"  said  He,  "  do  ye  not  understand  my 
speech?  Even  because  ye  cannot  hear  my  word."  They 
would  not  give  Him  so  much  as  one  patient  hearing, 
although  He  had  condescended  to  say  to  them,  only  the 
day  before — "If  any  man  will  do  his  will,  he  shall  know 
of  the  doctrine,  whether  it  be  of  God,  or  whether  I  speak 
of  myself."  Clearly  intimating,  that  there  is  required,  if 
I  may  so  express  it,  a  disposition  in  the  eye  of  the  mind 
towards  the  object  proposed,  in  order  to  any  man  discern- 
ing at  once  the  excellence  and  the  origin  of  what  is 
taught.  The  impatient  and  the  querulous  must  therefore 
be  left  till  they  come  to  reflection,  or  they  must  perish ; 
but  I  introduce  these  few  remarks  chiefly  with  a  view  to 
remind  the  Christian  Parent,  that  faith  (without  which  a 
disposition  to  receive  the  word,  as  it  is  in  truth  the  word 

*  Boyle. 


FAMILY  DEVOTION.  341 

of  God,  cannot  exist),  is  not  natural  to  any  man,  and  that 
it  is  often  weak  indeed  even  in  those  who  possess  it. 
See,  then,  that  your  faith,  however  weak,  be  influential — 
see  that  it  be  unfeigned;  then,  before  the  power  and 
authority  of  this  daily  reading,  will  you  find  every  vain 
imagination  in  yourself  cast  down,  and  every  high  thing 
that  exalteth  itself  against  the  knowledge  of  God,  and 
every  thought  brought  into  captivity,  so  as  to  be  charmed 
with  obedience  to  Christ  Jesus. 

Finally,  with  regard  to  requisite  dispositions,  if  the 
Scriptures  are  read  without  a  spirit  of  expectation,  there 
can  be  no  desire.  To  excite  this  habitually  expecting 
spirit,  this  watching  for  information,  only  let  me  ask, 
Where  is  the  book  to  be  found,  from  which  you  not  only 
may  daily  derive  new  ideas,  and  from  which  you  can 
reason  negatively  with  great  profit,  as  some  old  expositors 
have  done  with  such  effect  ?  Yes  ;  well  may  you  "adore 
the  fullness  of  the  Scriptures : "  for  in  that  book,  as 
Mr.  Boyle  says,  rising  upon  the  idea  of  Lord  Bacon, 
"  there  is  such  a  fullness,  that  oftentimes  it  says  much  by 
saying  nothing  ;  as  not  only  its  expressions  but  its  silences 
are  teaching  :  like  a  dial,  in  which  the  shadow  as  well  as 
the  light  informs  us."  Family  reading,  on  the  part  of  a 
Parent,  ought  therefore,  unquestionably,  to  be  associated 
with  a  spirit  of  desire  or  reverent  inquiry,  and  more 
especially  since  it  is  to  be  immediately  followed  by  Family 
Prayer.  The  man  who  expects  to  find  little  or  nothing  in 
his  daily  reading,  will  insensibly  turn  the  means  into  an 
end,  which  is  a  flagrant  abuse,  and  sink  down  to  the  low 
and  dull  ground  of  what  is  called,  though  falsely,  "  doing 
duty."  But  should  the  Parent  only  possess  the  desire  or 
spirit  for  discovering  the  mind  of  God  in  the  Scriptures  ; 
should  he  thus  be  found  watching  daily  at  the  gates  of 
wisdom,  and  thus  waiting  at  the  posts  of  her  doors;  I  am 
saved  at  once  from  almost  any  directions  as  to  the  manner 
29* 


342  FAMILY  DEVOTION. 

of  reading.  He  will  then  certainly  read  as  one  who 
himself  expects  either  to  be  gratified  or  refreshed  with 
what  he  has  known,  and  relished,  or  admired  before ;  or 
as  one  who  expects  to  observe  somewhat  which  he  had 
never  till  then  discovered.  Yes,  if  he  is  expecting 
information,  and  watching  for  excitement,  this  will  serve 
instead  of  many,  if  not  any  directions;  for  this  will 
induce  a  habit  of  reading  deliberately — of  reading  dis- 
tinctly—and with  what  is  of  the  greatest  moment,  in 
promoting  attention  and  abiding  impression — occasional 
pauses.  This  desire  of  his  own  too,  accompanied  as  it 
is  with  such  delight,  the  Parent  will  as  certainly  wish  to 
impart  to  his  Children  and  Servants,  so  that  the  explana- 
tion, occasionally,  of  particular  words,  will  follow  of  course 
— a  practice  which  is  of  essential  importance,  if  interest 
is  to  be  kept  up,  or  ideas  fixed  in  the  mind. 

With  dispositions  such  as  these,  the  leader  of  daily 
Family  Devotion  cannot  fail  to  derive  immense  benefit 
himself  from  thus  daily  reading  aloud  to  his  Family  the 
living  Oracles  of  God,  Such  a  man  will  not  only  be 
charmed  by  seeing  different  passages  interchange  light 
with  each  other ;  not  only  will  he  be  convinced  that  the 
doctrines  there  are  of  importance,  but  he  will  own,  that 
even  those  truths  which  require  but  few  perusals  to  be 
understood,  require  many  to  be  duly  impressed;  "our 
preposterously  partial  memories  being  but  too  rarely  like 
quicksilver,  in  which  nothing  will  sink  but  gold."  "  The 
word  of  God,"  he  will  say,  "must  not  be  as  a  passenger, 
or  sparingly  entertained  in  our  minds,  but  must  dwell 
there,  and  that  richly ;  for  that  word  which  James  pro- 
nounces to  be  '  able  to  save  our  souls,'  he  describes  as  a 
graff,  which  must  not  only  be  closely  embraced  by  that 
wherein  it  is  to  fructify,  but  must  continue  there,  to  bring 
the  stock  and  the  graff,  if  I  may  so  speak,  to  concorpo- 
rate."* 

""•"  Boyle. 


FAMILY  DEVOTION.  343 

Such  a  man,  it  is  true,  hears  some  persons  complain  of 
the  obscurity  of  Scripture  ;  but  all  that  obscurity  of  which 
they  complain,  to  him  has  often  appeared  merely  like  a 
mist,  which  seems  thicker  at  a  distance  than  when  you 
enter  it.  Many  a  time  has  he  entered  this  prosperously, 
and  found,  to  his  joyful  experience,  that  that  which  at  a 
distance  overawed  him,  was  not  intended  to  frustrate 
industry,  but  to  check  the  presumptuous,  or  punish  indot- 
lence.  Nay,  even  as  to  profound  obscurities,  or  the  daz- 
zling and  sublime  of  Scripture,  this  daily  reader  says — 
"  the  apostle's  motive  to  hospitality,  '  Be  not  forgetful  to 
entertain  strangers,  for  thereby  some  have  entertained 
angels  unawares,'  will,  without  being  overstretched,  take 
in  those  texts  of  Scripture  with  which  we  are  unac- 
quainted. For  in  them  we  may  easily,  with  Abraham 
and  Lot,  entertain  greater  guests  than  we  are  aware  of; 
and  who,  when  their  true  condition  appears,  may  recom- 
pense our  entertainment  of  them,  by  showering  down 
blessings  upon  us,  and  rescuing  us  from  the  company  and 
destiny  of  the  wicked." 

Great,  alas !  are  the  evils,  and  immense  the  loss,  which 
have  resulted  from  reading  the  Sacred  Volume,  during 
Family  Worship,  in  a  slovenly  and  irreverent  manner,  or 
even  in  the  absence  of  such  dispositions  as  have  now 
been  recommended  j  and  this  must  form  my  apology  for 
dwelling  on  the  subject  so  long  :  while,  on  the  other  hand, 
I  feel  the  more  disposed  to  enforce  such  reverent  and 
grateful  perusal  of  the  Sacred  Volume  ;  and  such  dis- 
posedness  to  receive  this  word  as  the  truth  of  God,  which 
effectually  worketh  in  all  who  believe  ;  and  such  eager 
desire  after  discovering  His  mind  there  ;  from  a  deep  per- 
suasion .that  great  and  egregious  ignorance  still  remains 
in  the  world,  as  to  the  precise  meaning  of  the  sacred  text: 
because  also,  I  am  fully  assured,  that  many  a  such  devout 
daily  reader  might  discover  a  ray  of  light,  or  a  hidden 


344  FAMILY  DEVOTION. 

beauty,  which  has  hitherto  escaped  the  searching  eye  of 
the  deepest  divine.  No  hurry  of  business,  nor  any  lawful 
occupation  of  this  transitory  and  uncertain  life,  can  form 
any  apology  for  one  short  historical  or  prophetical  passage 
not  being  read  in  the  morning,  and  one  devotional  or 
epistolary  passage  in  the  evening  of  the  day.*  And  no 
business  of  life  whatever  need  prevent  such  discovery  as 
ought  ever  to  be  the  object  of  every  reader :  nor  when  the 
humblest  Christian  comes  daily  with  a  degree  of  this  thirst 
after  truth,  will  any  occupation  be  permitted  to  prevent 
him.  Certainly,  it  was  not  a  man  who  had  nothing  else 
to  do ;  nor  was  it  a  man  sitting  down  deliberately,  in  a 
professional  way,  who  once  said,  "  O  how  love  I  thy  law  ! 
it  is  my  meditation  all  the  day,"  or  every  day.  "  I  have 
more  understanding  than  all  my  teachers,  for  thy  testi- 
monies are  my  meditation  :  I  understand  more  than  the 
ancients,  because  I  keep  thy  precepts. "t 

*  I  have  said  short,  because  this  it  may  require  to  be  with  some 
Families  during  six  days  of  the  week.  Besides,  this  will  lead  to 
reverent  and  deliberate  reading,  without  which  it  cannot  be  ex- 
pected that  musing  or  meditation  should  ever  take  place  afterwards. 
On  Sabbath,  however,  there  is  no  need  for  such  limitation.  The 
day  is  the  Lord's  ;  and  in  Judea  of  old,  on  that  day  the  morning 
and  evening  sacrifice  was,  by  divine  appointment,  doubled. 

t  "  When  I  first  began  attentively  to  read  the  Sciiptures,  and, 
according  to  my  custom  when  I  read  books,  whereof  I  have  a  pro- 
mising expectation,  to  mark  in  the  margin  the  passages  that  seemed 
to  deserve  a  peculiar  notice  or  reflection,  I  marked  but  here  and 
there  some  verses  in  a  chapter ;  but  when  upon  a  greater  familiarity 
with  the  idiotisms,  or  peculiarity  of  expression,  the  sense  and  the 
applicableness  of  Scripture,  1  came  to  survey  it,  I  then,  in  some 
places,  marked  the  whole  chapter,  and,  in  most  others,  left  much 
fewer  texts  than  before,  unfurnished  with  some  mark  of  reference. 
And  whereas,  at  my  entrance,  I  took  even  the  choicest  part  of  the 
Bible  to  be  at  best  but  like  some  Indian  province,  wherein,  though 
mines  and  gems  were  more  abundant  than  in -other  countries,  yet 
were  they  but  sparingly  to  be  met  with  here  and  there.  After  a 
competent  stay,  my  ensuing  perusals  presented  it  me,  if  not  as  a 
royal  jewel  made  up  of  gold  and  precious  stones,  yet  (which  is 


FAMILY  DEVOTION.  345 

Oh !  were  the  Sacred  Scriptures  only  thus  daily  read 
in  Christian  Families,  the  effects  could  not,  in  the  nature 
of  things,  remain  long  hid  ;  nor  could  these  be  long  con- 
fined only  to  a  blessing  on  the  humble  habitation  of  the 
righteous.  Then  would  the  low  estimate,  which,  alas ! 
many  entertain  of  the  written  word,  be  tenable  no  more  : 
then,  too,  would  the  great  value  of  this  instrument — this 
means  to  an  end  ;  for,  after  all  that  has  been  said,  the 
Scriptures  are  only  an  instrument,  and  only  a  means  to 

more  glorious)  like  Aaron's  breast-plate — a  sacred  jewel — the  par- 
ticular instructions  for  which  were  given  by  God  himself,  and 
which,  besides  the  various  flaming  gems,  set  in  fine  gold,  and 
placed  in  a  mysterious  order,  was  ennobled  by  that  Urim  and  Thum- 
mim,  wherein  God  vouchsafed  to  reveal  himself  to  mortals ;  and 
which  was  adorned  with  so  much  cunning  work  in  gold,  with  blue, 
purple,  scarlet,  and  fine-twined  linen,  that  the  contrivance  and 
workmanship  lent  a  lustre  to  the  glittering  materials,  without  being 
obscured  by  them.  This  experiment  keeps  me  from  wondering  to 
find  in  the  inspired  Poet's  description  of  the  man,  to  whom  he  at- 
tributes a  blessedness,  that  his  (chaphatz)  delight  is  in  the  '  law  of 
the  Lord,  and  in  his  law  doth  he  meditate  day  and  night.'  For  the 
word  other  translations  render  voluntas  and  studium,  ours  has  ren- 
dered delight.  Indeed,  the  Hebrew  will  bear  both  senses,  and 
seems  there  emphatically  to  signify,  a  study  replenished  with  so 
much  delight  to  the  devout  and  intelligent  prosecutors  of  it,  that, 
like  the  hallelujahs  of  the  blessed,  it  is  at  once  a  duty  and  a  pleas- 
ure, an  exercise  and  a  recompense  of  piety.  And,  indeed,  if  God's 
blessing  upon  the  devout  Christian's  study  of  that  book  do  *  open 
his  eyes  to  discern  the  hidden  wonders  '  contained  in  it,  he  should, 
and  he  will,  in  imitation  of  the  Psalmist  in  the  same  Psalm,  say  of 
his  God,  i  I  rejoice  at  thy  word  as  one  that  findeth  great  spoil,'  and 
am  as  satisfied  as  navigators  that  discover  unknown  countries. 
And  I  must  confess,  that,  when  sometimes,  with  the  apostles  in  the 
mount,  I  contemplate  Moses  and  Elias  talking  with  Christ,  I  mean 
the  Law  and  the  Prophets  symphomzing  with  the  Gospel,  I  can- 
not but,  resemblingly  transported  with  a  like  motive,  exclaim  with 
Peter,  It  is  good  for  me  to  be  here;  and  I  cease  to  think  the  Psalm- 
ist a  hyperbolist,  for  comparing  the  transcendent  sweetness  of 
God's  word  to  that  inferior  one  of  honey  ;  which  is  like  it  in  noth- 
ing more  than  in  that,  of  both  their  suavities,  experience  gives 
much  more  advantageous  notions  than  descriptions  can." — Boyle. 


346  FAMILY  DEVOTION. 

an  end  :  but  then  would  their  true  value  and  divine  intent 
become  both  striking  and  most  delightful  :  then  would  the 
Church  begin  to  erect  her  head,  and  stand  up,  and  shake 
herself  from  the  dust  of  ages  and  generations  :  then  would 
her  members,  not  merely  know  how  to  behave  themselves 
in  the  house  of  God,  but  then  would  the  Church  mani- 
festly appear  to  be  "  the  Church  of  the  living  God;"  nay, 
the  very  "  pillar,  and  ground,  or  stay  of  the  truth." 

Let  not,  then,  any  Christian  Parent,  however  humble 
his  lot,  or  even  scanty  his  fare,  be  diverted  from  endeavor- 
ing to  drink  deeply  of  such  dispositions  towards  this  thrice- 
blessed  Book.  His  own  progress  in  discovering  the  mind 
of  God,  though  it  should  be  slow  at  first,  will  cheer  him 
on  his  way ;  and  a  discovery,  however  small,  will  occa- 
sionally fill  him  with  an  admiration  and  joy  akin  to  those 
which  once  animated  our  beloved  brother  Paul,  when  the 
very  Spirit,  by  which  he  was  writing  at  the  moment,  in- 
duced him  to  exclaim — "  O  the  depth  of  the  riches,  both 
of  the  wisdom  and  knowledge  of  God  !  how  unsearchable 
are  his  judgments,  and  his  ways  past  finding  out!  For 
who  hath  known  the  mind  of  the  Lord  ?  or  who  hath  been 
his  counsellor?  or  who  hath  first  given  to  him,  and  it  shall 
be  recompensed  to  him  again  ?  "  * 

*  "  In  this  passage,"  says  Dr.  Jebb,  in  his  most  interesting  and 
valuable  work,  entitled,  Sacred  Literature,  "  the  continuity  of  the 
parallelism  is  maintained  unbroken,  and  the  style,  both  of  thought 
and  expression,  is  remarkable  alike  for  elegance,  animation,  and 
profundity."  His  translation  is  as  follows  : 

O  the  depth  of  the  riches,  and  the  wisdom,  and  the  knowledge  of  God  ! 
Flow  inscrutable  are  his  judgments, 
And  untracoable  his  ways  ! 
,     For  who  hath  known  the  mind  of  the  Lord  ? 
Or  who  hath  been  his  counsellor? 
Or  who  hath  first  given  to  him, 
And  it  shall  be  given  to  him  again? 

The  first  line,  he  continues,  proposes  the  subject — 

O  the  depth  of  the  riches,  and  the  wisdom,  and  the  knowledge  of  God  f 


FAMILY  DEVOTION.  347 

Here  also  the  encouraging  thought  presents  itself,  that 
the  humblest,  the  poorest  Christian  can  comprehend  these 
weighty  and  profound  expressions ;  while,  by  this  daily 
and  devout  perusal  of  the  Sacred  Word,  the  same  delight 
recurs  in  regard  to  another  and  another  passage,  till  at 
last  he  ascends  to  glory  everlasting.  "  There,  discerning 
how  exquisitely  the  several  parts  of  Scripture  are  fitted  to 
the  several  times,  and  persons,  and  occurrences  wherein 
their  all-foreseeing  Author  intended  most  to  use  them,  he 
will  then  discern,  not  only  a  reconcileableness,,  but  a 
friendship  and  perfect  harmony  betwixt  those  passages 
which  here  seemed  most  at  variance ;  and  will  then 
discern,  not  only  the  sense  of  tjiese  obscurer  passages, 
but  the  requisiteness  of  their  having  been  written  so 
obscurely."*  And  there,  like  Abraham,  even  after  he 

The  notion  of  depth,  as  a  quality  attributed  alike  to  God's  riches 
— and  wisdom— and  knowledge,  is  first  expanded  in  the  next 
couplet : 

How  inscrutable  are  his  judgments, 

And  untraceable  his  ways! 

Riches — wisdom — and  knowledge,  are  then,  in  a  fine  epanados, 
enlarged  upon  in  the  inverted  order : 

Knowledge. — For  who  hath  known  the  mind  of  the  Lord? 
Wisdom. — Or  who  hath  been  his  counsellor  ? 
Riches. — Or  who  hath  first,  given  unto  him, 
And  it  shall  be  repaid  him  again  ? 

"  Let  now  the  most  skilfully  executed  cento,  from  the  heathen 
classics,  be  compared  with  this  finished  scriptural  Mosaic  of  Paul ; 
the  former,  however  imposing  at  the  first  view,  will,  on  closer  in- 
spection, infallibly  betray  its  patch-work  jointing,  and  incongruous 
materials  ;  while  the  latter,  like  the  beauties  of  creation,  not  only 
bears  the  microscopic  glance,  but  the  more  minutely  it  is  examined, 
the  more  fully  its  exquisite  organization  is  disclosed." 

*  With  this  exception,  the  preceding  extracts  from  Mr.  Boyle 
are  taken  from  his  valuable  tract,  entitled,  "  Considerations  touch- 
ing the  Style  of  the  Holy  Scriptures,"  written,  at  the  request  of  his 
brother,  Lord  Broghill,  partly  in  England,  partly  in  another  king- 
dom, and  partly  even  on  shipboard.  Such  was  the  language  of  this 
extraordinary  man,  when  he  had  reached  only  the  twenty-sixth  year 


348  FAMILY  DEVOTION. 

was  enthroned  in  glory,  who  is  represented  as  testifying 
to  the  sufficiency  and  potency  of  the  Sacred  Word,  will 
he  possess  a  more  profound  conception  of  the  "  manifold 
wisdom  of  God." 

3.  Family  Prayer. — As  one  reason  for  the  heartless 
and  dull  spirit  of  many  Parents,  when  engaged  in  prayer, 
is  to  be  traced  to  their  superficial  acquaintance  with  the 

of  his  age;  and  his  "  Motives  to  the  Love  of  God"  were  written 
when  he  was  four  years  younger  !  These  '•  Considerations,"  how- 
ever, are  only  part  of  a  larger  volume,  entitled,  An  Essay  on  the 
Scripture,  and  I  presume  may  form  but  a  small  proportion  of  it. 
The  writer  has  inquired  for  it.  repeatedly,  when  in  London  and 
Dublin,  but  in  vain ;  and  although  it  is  said  to  have  been  published 
after  the  "Considerations,"  by  Mr.,  afterwards  Sir  Peter  Pett,  at- 
torney-general for  Ireland,  he  has  never  been  able  to  obtain  even  a 
sight  of  it,  at  any  of  the  public  libraries.  If  this  work  was  really 
published,  which  is  somewhat  doubtful,  from  its  being  mentioned 
as  No.  11  in  the  Manuscripts  not  inserted  in  his  works;  how  much 
is  it  to  be  regretted,  that  the  ideas  of  such  a  man  should  remain  hid 
and  unknown,  respecting  a  book  which  he  not  only  held  in  such 
profound  veneration,  and  which  he  not  only  studied  so  diligently, 
but  which  he  was  so  well  qualified  to  explore,  both  by  his  deep  and 
consistent  piety  as  a  Christian,  and  his  abilities  as  a  scholar,  from 
his  acquaintance  with  Hebrew  and  Greek,  Chaldee  and  Syriac.  Jn 
this  work  are  to  be  found  his  thoughts  respecting  the  last  transla- 
tion of  the  Bible,  and  the  advantage  of  understanding  the  original 
languages  of  the  Scriptures,  as  well  as  various  other  subjects.  In 
the  list  of  his  Manuscripts,  No.  10,  which  certainly  has  never  seen 
the  light,  is  entitled,  "  The  Excellence  of  Christianity."  Among 
these  papers,  too,  are  to  be  found  his  views  of  the  "  Causes  of 
Atheism,"  "  Considerations  about  Miracles,"  and  "  Whether  Phi- 
losophy and  Christianity  contradict  each  other."  Tiiese,  as  well  as 
fifteen  other  theological  tracts,  and  above  thirty  on  philosophical 
subjects,  all  in  manuscript,  were,  about  the  year  1743,  in  the  pos- 
session of  the  Rev.  Henry  Miles,  F.  R.  S.,  of  Tooting,  in  Surrey ; 
and  it  is  long  since  the  regret  has  been  expressed  at  their  not  being 
examined,  and  such  of  them  as  are  complete  given  to  the  public. 
If  a  late  work,  such  as  that  ascribed  to  Milton,  must  not  remain  in 
concealment,  although  the  authenticity  of  it  is  far  fioni  being  yet 
established  ;  of  how  much  greater  benefit  to  mankind,  would  the 
thoughts  of  Boyle  prove,  could  the  possessors  of  these  manuscripts 
only  be  entreated  to  survey  and  communicate  them  ? 


FAMILY  DEVOTION.  349 

Sacred  Scriptures,  and  this  as  a  necessary  consequence 
of  their  superficial  way  of  reading  them ;  hence  the 
importance  of  their  being  perused  in  the  exercise  of  such 
dispositions  as  have  been  mentioned.  As  such  readers 
will  then  no  more  be  satisfied  with  knowing  Scripture 
historically,  or  considering  it  casually,  so  also,  upon  their 
bended  knees,  will  they  desire  to  have  their  minds,  not 
only  impressed  with  its  truths,  but  imbued  with  its  spirit ; 
while  such  a  course  of  reading  must,  of  necessity,  ever 
be  furnishing  them  with  fresh  materials  for  prayer. 

And  now,  with  the  single  exception  of  those  hallowed 
moments,  when  the  hearts  of  the  flock,  conjoined  with 
their  Shepherd,  arise  to  the  throne  of  God  ;  there  seems 
not  to  be,  in  this  world,  a  single  prospect  so  engaging  and 
lovely  to  the  eye  of  the  Christian,  "  as  a  Family  thus  as- 
sembled in  the  morning  for  their  affectionate  devotions; 
combining  piety  to  God,  their  common  Parent,  with  ten- 
derness to  each  other,"  and  living  through  the  day  in 
conformity  with  such  a  commencement.  "  In  the  devo- 
tions of  this  little  assembly,  Parents  pray  for  their  Chil- 
dren, and  Children  for  their  Parents ;  the  Husband  for  his 
Wife,  and  the  Wife  for  her  Husband  ;  while  Brothers  and 
Sisters  send  up  their  requests  to  the  throne  of  Infinite 
Mercy,  to  call  down  blessings  on  each  other.  Who,  that 
wears  the  name  of  man,  can  be  indifferent  here  ?  Must 
not  the  venerable  character  of  the  Parents,  the  peculiar 
tenderness  of  the  conjugal  union,  the  affectionate  intimacy 
of  the  filial  and  fraternal  relations;  must  not  the  nearness 
of  relations  long  existing,  the  interchange  of  kindness  long 
continued,  and  the  oneness  of  interests  long  cemented, — 
all  warm  the  heart,  heighten  the  importance  of  every  peti- 
tion, and  increase  the  fervor  of  every  devotional  effort?"* 

Independently,  however,  of  all  that  is  attractive  to  the 

*  Dwight. 
30 


350  FAMILY  DEVOTIONv 

outward  eye,  to  the  Christian  Parent  himself,  who  has 
been  received  into  the  divine  favor  under  the  sovereign 
shelter  of  his  Mediator,  and  through  his  abounding  merit 
alone,  these  morning  Family  devotions  are  productive  of 
great  personal  advantage.  Often  does  he,  when  thus  en- 
gaged, feel  an  adoptive  freedom,  and  nearness  of  access  to 
God.  Conscious  that  there  is  no  spiritual  blessing  so 
great,  and  no  evil  so  small,  respecting  which  he  may  not 
address  his  Heavenly  Father,  whether  for  himself  or  those 
so  dear  to  him,  his  prayers  are  circumstantial,  without 
irreverent  familiarity,  and  changing  with  the  aspect  of 
each  returning  day  or  revolving  year,  they  are  character- 
istic of  the  circumstances  in  which  his  Family  stands  at 
the  moment.  Certainly  he  does  not  thus  descend  to  par- 
ticulars, because  Jehovah  does  not  know  them  infinitely 
better  than  ever  he  can  :  but  he  feels  it  to  be  of  value  to 
himself,  thus  to  intercede  for  and  with  others, — to  be  of 
importance  to  himself,  as  a  Parent,  thus  to  bear  his  charge 
on  his  heart  before  God ;  and  of  value  to  all  who  are  pre- 
sent, to  hear  the  concerns  of  the  entire  family  thus  ac- 
knowledged, as  originating  with  God,  or  laid  down  in 
reverent  submission  before  him.  Besides  all  this,  he 
believes  it  to  be  the^aw  of  Heaven,  that  such  blessings  as 
he  implores,  are  to  be  obtained  from  thence,  only  by 
prayer.  "God,"  he  will  say,  "  does  not  promise  to  those 
who  want  that  they  shall  have,  but  to  those  who  ask ;  nor 
to  those  who  need  that  they  shall  fnd,  but  to  those  who 
seek.  So  far,  therefore,  from  his  previous  knowledge  of 
our  wants  being  a  ground  of  objection  to  prayer,  it  is  the 
true  ground  for  our  application.  Were  he  not  Knowledge 
itself,  our  information  would  be  of  as  little  use  as  our  ap- 
plication would  be,  were  he  not  Goodness  itself."* 

It   is,  however,   very  much  to  be  feared,   that  many 
Christians  are  not  sufficiently  aware  of  the  importance 

*  More's  Practical  Piety. 


FAMILY  DEVOTION.  351 

which  is  to  be  attached  to  the  spirit  and  temper  of  such 
Morning  devotion  in  the  Family.  The  truth  is,  that  these 
seasons  may,  in  general,  be  regarded  as  the  index  to  a 
man's  life,  and  the  probable  condition  of  his  Family 
through  the  whole  day ;  while  the  evening  prayer  itself, 
will  as  generally  respond  or  testify  to  the  truth  of  this 
remark.  Should  any  Parent  not  have  before  observed 
this  sufficiently,  let  him  only  recollect,  that,  as  the  spirit 
of  prayer  must,  of  necessity  precede  the  act  itself,  so  the 
design  of  this  exercise  is  not  merely  to  excite  a  devotional 
frame  only  while  he  is  engaged  in  it.  Its  influence,  if  he 
and  his  family  have  engaged  with  sincerity,  will  remain 
with  them,  not  only  after  they  rise  from  their  knees,  but 
it  will  extend  through  the  day  to  its  close,  and  in  propor- 
tion as  they  possess  the  spirit  of  prayer,  will  it  thus  ex- 
tend ;  so  that  "  we  may  often  judge  better  of  our  state  by 
the  result  than  by  the  act  of  prayer." 

The  importance  of  such  an  extension  of  influence,  or 
devotional  consciousness  of  the  Divine  Presence,,  the 
Christian  reader  will  be  fully  impressed  with,  if  he  ob- 
serves what  takes  place  at  Evening  Family  Prayer,  or 
even  private  devotion  afterwards.  Have  you  never  then 
observed,  that  "we  cannot,  in  retiring  into  our  closets, 
change  our  natures  as  we  do  our  clothes  ?  The  disposi- 
tion we  carry  thither  will  be  likely  to  remain  with  us. 
We  have  no  right  to  expect  that  a  new  temper  will  meet 
us  at  the  door.  We  can  only  hope  or  fear  that  the  spirit 
we  bring  thither  will  be  cherished.  It  is  not  easy,  rather 
it  is  not  possible,  to  graft  genuine  devotion  on  a  life  of  an 
opposite  tendency  ;  nor  can  we  delight  ourselves  regularly, 
for  a  few  stated  moments,,  in  that  God  whom  we  have  not 
been  serving  during  the  day.  We  may  indeed,  to  quiet 
our  conscience,  take  up  the  employment  of  prayer,  but 
cannot  take  up  the  state  of  mind  which  will  make  the 
employment  beneficial  to  ourselves,  or  acceptable  to  God, 
if  all  the  previous  day  we  have  been  careless  of  ourselves, 


352  FAMILY  DEVOTION. 

and  unmindful  of  our  Maker.  They  will  not  pray  differ- 
ently from  the  rest  of  the  world,  who  do  not  live  differ- 
ently."* On  the  other  hand,  the  consistent  Christian 
Parent,  from  the  morning  itself,  looks  forward  to  the  hours 
of  business  and  household  care.  His  very  supplications 
have  an  immediate  reference  to  these  hours,  intending, 
whatever  he  does,  "  to  do  all  to  the  glory  of  God."  He  is 
not  to  be  engaged  in  any  pursuit,  or  even  amusement,  in- 
consistent with  such  an  intention  ;  and  he  is  not  going  to 
any  place  of  which  he  need  be  ashamed,  when  he  comes 
to  his  knees  in  the  evening.  Remembering  that  "  the 
wisdom  of  the  prudent  is  to  understand  his  way,"  he,  as 
it  were,  clears  this  way  before  him  as  he  goes ;  and  thus, 
if  in  the  morning,  the  devotions  of  the  Family  were  set 
forth  as  incense,  at  the  close  of  the  day,  the  lifting  up  of 
their  hands  is  as  the  evening  sacrifice.  Presenting  them- 
selves and  their  supplications  before  that  altar  which  alone 
sanctifieth  both  the  giver  and  the  gift,  in  the  name  of 
Jesus  they  resign  themselves  to  God.  "  To  Thee,"  they 
say, 

"  To  Thee  our  evening  homage  paid, 

And  daily  faults  confess'd, 
We,  confident  thou  art  our  guard, 
Resign  our  powers  to  rest. 

Thus,  in  thy  service,  love,  and  fear, 

Let  all  our  days  be  past ; 
Then  shall  we  nor  impatient  wish, 

Nor  fearful  dread  the  last." 


The  advantages  resulting  from  such  morning  and 
evening  Family  Devotion  are  incalculable.  Here,  how- 
ever, I  merely  advert,  for  a  moment,  to  its  influence  upon 
Parental  Government,  and  its  vital  connection  with  Re- 
ligious Education. 

*  More's  Practical  Piety. 


FAMILY  DEVOTION,  353 

"  Children,"  says  Dr.  Dwight,  "  naturally  regard  a 
Parent  with  reverence  ;  but  they  cannot  fail  to  reverence 
a,  Parent,  more  or  less,  on  account  of  his  personal  charac- 
ter. Wherever  they  have  been  accustomed  to  behold 
their  Parent  daily  sustaining  the  office  of  a  minister  or 
servant  of  God,  they  necessarily  associate  with  every  idea 
which  they  form  of  his  person  and  character,  this  solemn 
and  important  apprehension.  Every  image  of  this  ven- 
erable relation  presented  to  their  minds,  will  include  in  it 
that  of  a  divinely-appointed  guardian  of  their  spiritual 
concerns ;  a  guide  to  their  duty  given  them  from  above ; 
a  venerated  and  beloved  intercessor  for  their  salvation." 
An  addition  to  Parental  Authority,  so  efficacious,  and  of 
such  inestimable  value  as  this,  it  seems  impossible  to 
conceive. 

Such  Family  Worship,  too,  as  that  to  which  we  have 
referred,  in  all  its  parts,  "  is  in  truth  a  primary  branch  of 
Religious  Education;  as  that  education  is  a  primary 
source  of  religion  to  mankind.  Without  Family  Worship, 
Religious  Education  must  always  prove  essentially  de- 
fective ;  and  the  instructions,  the  reproofs,  and  persuasives, 
be  suspected  at  least,  if  not  accounted,  insincere." 

Should,  therefore,  any  Parent  be  remiss  and  irregular, 
or  conduct  such  worship  in  a  slovenly  or  irreverent  man- 
ner, why  should  he,  at  other  seasons,  complain  of  the 
difficulty  which  he  finds  in  governing,  or  reforming,  or 
educating  his  Children?  Is  there  not  a  cause?  Oh! 
instead  of  quieting  himself  with  the  idea,  that  they  are  so 
froward  as  to  frustrate  every  effort,  and  discourage  every 
hope,  let  him  rather  trace  the  whole  to  the  absence  of  the 
divine  favor  and  blessing,  and  this  absence  to  his  own 
misconduct ;  let  him  rather  take  shame  and  confusion  to 
himself,  and  let  him  tremble  lest  the  Almighty  visit  upon 
his  posterity,  the  threatened  reward  of  his  own  unheeding 
negligence  and  folly. 
30* 


SECTION  SEVENTH. 

DOMESTIC  EDUCATION,  AS  DISTINGUISHED  FROM 
PURCHASED  TUITION;  THE  OBLIGATIONS  TO 
WHICH  ARE  NOT  ONLY  INDISPENSABLE,  BUT 
UNTRANSFERABLE, 

Domestic  Education,  a  term  of  extensive  import — in  its  most  im- 
portant sense  cannot  be  purchased — nor  its  duties  performed  by 
substitute. — The  Education  of  circumstances. — The  Education  of 
the  dispositions. 

IN  the  proper  sense  of  the  term,  Education  is  a  thing  of 
great  scope  and  extent ;  and  within  the  doors  of  a  house- 
hold, it  is  of  a  far  more  important  and  extensive  character, 
than  any  thing  for  which  the  Children  cqn  be  sent  to 
schools  of  any  description  whatever.  It  affords,  however, 
matter  at  once  for  surprise  and  deep  regret,  to  observe 
how  much  this  superior  department  of  Education,  which 
no  wealth  can  purchase,  has  been  overlooked ;  more 
especially  since  it  is  one  in  which  the  rich  have  little  if 
any  advantage  over  the  poor.  For  Education,  in  its 
largest  sense,  as  it  is  enjoined  in  the  word  of  God,  in- 
cludes the  training  up  of  a  Child — the  bringing  him  up, 
or  educating  him,  in  the  nurture  and  admonition  of  the 
Lord  ;  so  that  Education,  in  this  sense,  includes  the  whole 
process  by  which  a  human  being  is  formed  to  be  what  he 
is,  in  principles,  and  habits,  and  cultivation  of  every  kind. 


DOMESTIC  EDUCATION.  355 

Now,  whatever  proportion  of  all  this  may  be  in  the  power 
of  Parents,  a  smaller  still,  and  that  which  has  much  less 
influence  in  forming  the  character,  can  be  directed  or 
acquired  by  purchased  tuition  of  any  kind.  Besides,  it  is, 
and  must  be,  by  far  the  most  valuable  part  of  Education 
which  cannot,  by  any  possibility,  be  purchased  with  money. 
This  is  one  of  those  beautiful  and  benign  arrangements 
of  Infinite  Wisdom,  in  which  "  He  regardeth  not  the  rich 
more  than  the  poor;"  since  this  species  of  Education 
"  cannot  be  gotten  for  gold,  neither  can  silver  be  weighed 
for  the  price  thereof."  Neither  can  this  parental  de- 
partment of  Education,  by  any  ingenuity  of  man,  be 
transferred  or  undertaken  by  others  ;  for  it  will  be  seen, 
after  every  vain  expedient,  that  Parents  will,  and  do,  and 
must  here  educate  their  Children.  In  one  word,  as 
neither  love,  nor  friendship,  nor  wealth,  can  turn  the 
course  of  nature,  so  neither  can  they  relieve  Parents, 
whether  rich  or  poor,  from  those  obligations  which  God, 
and  nature,  and  their  interests  too,  alike  demand  and 
enjoin.  Let  not  the  reader  search  about  for  exceptions. 
Exceptions  may  and  do  exist ;  but  such,  after  all,  is  the 
course  of  nature,  or,  in  other  words,  the  will  of  God. 

Under  these  circumstances,  let  no  Parent  complain  of 
his  limited  means — of  his  other  occupations — or  of  any 
disadvantages  in  his  situation, — let  him  only  fix  his  eye 
with  vigilance  on  that  department  of  parental  training, 
which  is  at  once  unpurchaseable  and  untransferable. 
You  engage  for  your  Children,  and  with  considerable 
anxiety,  even  the  best  masters  in  every  department,  and 
you  do  well,  and  nothing  more  than  is  incumbent ;  but  in 
the  business  of  education,  properly  so  called,  they  can  do 
but  little  few  you  ! 

Addressing  myself,  therefore,  especially  to  Parents,  I 
would  say — Placed  by  the  all-wise  providence  of  Heaven 
in  such  a  peculiar  situation,  it  will  be  well  for  you  to  keep 


356  DOMESTIC  EDUCATION. 

especially  in  view,  what  may  be  denominated,  the  Educa- 
tion of  circumstances,  and  the  Education  of  the  dis- 
positions. 

I.  THE  EDUCATION  OF  CIRCUMSTANCES. — Let  pur- 
chased tuition  be  carried  up  to  the  very  highest  perfection, 
and  let  neither  money  nor  wisdom  be  spared  in  reaching 
this  height,  of  such  vital  importance  in  the  training  of 
Children,  is  that  department  to  which  I  now  refer,  that 
it  can,  and,  if  neglected,  will,  undermine  and  undo  the 
whole,  as  well  as  render  many  efforts  in  educating  the 
disposition  altogether  abortive.  Suffer  me  to  explain  my 
meaning. 

In  the  laudable  anxiety  of  their  hearts,  two  Parents, 
with  a  family  of  infants  playing  around  their  feet,  are 
heard  to  say — "Oh!  what  will — what  can  best  educate 
these  dear  Children?"  I  reply — Look  to  yourselves  and 
I  your  circumstances.  Maxims  and  documents  are  good  in 
"  themselves,  and  especially  good  for  the  regulation  of  your 
conduct  and  your  behavior  towards  them ;  but  with  re- 
gard to  your  Children,  you  have  yet  often  to  remark,  that 
many  maxims  are  good,  precisely  till  they  are  tried,  or 
applied,  and  no  longer.  In  the  hands  of  many  Parents 
they  will  teach  the  Children  to  talk,  and  very  often  little 
j  more.  I  do  not  mean  to  assert,  that  sentiments  inculcated 
have  no  influence ;  far  from  it :  they  have  much,  though 
not  the  most;  but  still,  after  all,  it  is  the  sentiments  you 
let  drop  occasionally— it  is  the  conversation  they  overhear, 
when  playing  in  the  corner  of  the  room,  which  has  more 
effect  than  many  things  which  are  addressed  to  them 
directly  in  the  tone  of  exhortation.  Besides,  as  to  maxims, 
ever  remember,  that  between  those  which  you  bring  for- 
ward for  their  use,  and  those  by  which  you  direct  your  own 
conduct,  Children  have  almost  an  intuitive  discernment ; 


DOMESTIC  EDUCATION.  357 

and  it  is  by  the  latter  they  will  be  mainly  governed,  both 
during  childhood  and  their  future  existence. 

The  question,  however,  returns,  What  will  educate 
these  Children?  And  now  I  answer,  "  Your  example  will 
educate  them — your  conversation  with  your  friends — the 
business  they  see  you  transact — the  likings  and  dislikings 
you  express — these  will  educate  them  ;  the  society  you  live 
in  will  educate  them — your  domestics  will  educate  them ; 
and  whatever  be  your  rank  or  situation  in  life,  your  house, 
your  table,  and  your  daily  behavior  there,  these  will  edu- 
cate them.  To  withdraw  them  from  the  unceasing  and 
potent  influence  of  these  things  is  impossible,  except  you 
were  to  withdraw  yourself  from  them  also.  Some  Parents 
talk  of  beginning  the  education  of  their  Children :  the 
moment  they  were  capable  of  forming  an  idea,  their 
education  was  already  begun, — the  Education  of  circum- 
stances—insensible education,  which,  like  insensible  per- 
spiration, is  of  more  constant  and  powerful  effect,  and 
of  far  more  consequence  to  the  habit,  than  that  which 
is  direct  and  apparent.  This  education  goes  on  at  every 
instant  of  time  ;  it  goes  on  like  time — you  can  neither 
stop  it,  nor  turn  its  course.  Whatever  these,  then,  have 
a  tendency  to  make  your  Children,  that,  in  a  great  degree, 
you  at  least  should  be  persuaded,  they  will  be." 

The  language,  however,  occasionally  heard  from  some 
Fathers,  may  here  not  unseasonably  be  glanced  at.  They 
are  diffuse  in  praise  of  maternal  influence;  and,  pleased 
at  the  idea  of  its  power  and  extent,  they  will  exclaim, 
"  O  yes,  there  can  be  doubt  of  it,  that  every  thing  de- 
pends on  the  Mother."  This,  however,  will  be  found  to 
spring  from  a  selfish  principle,  and  from  anxiety  to  be 
relieved  from  mighty  obligations,  which,  after  all,  cannot 
be  transferred  from  the  Father's  shoulders  to  those  even 
of  a  Mother;  to  say  nothing  of  the  unkindness  involved  in 
laying  upon  her  a  burden,  which  nature  never  intended, 


358  DOMESTIC  EDUCATION. 

and  never  does.  Her  influence,  as  an  instrument,  indeed, 
a  Husband  cannot  too  highly  prize ;  but  let  no  Father 
imagine  that  he  can  neutralize  the  influence  of  his  own 
presence  and  his  own  example  at  home.  He  cannot  if  he 
would,  nor  can  he  escape  from  obligation.  The  patience 
and  constancy  of  a  Mother  are,  no  doubt,  first  mainly 
tried,  but  then  those  of  the  Father.  The  dispositions  in 
each  Parent  are  fitted  by  nature  for  this  order  in  the  trial 
of  patience ;  but,  from  the  destined  and  appropriate  share 
allotted  to  each,  neither  of  the  two  parties,  when  in  health, 
can  relieve  the  other. 

Addressing  myself,  therefore,  to  both  Parents,  I  would 
say,  "Contract  to  its  just  and  proper  dimensions  the 
amount  of  all  that  purchased  Education  can  do  for  you, 
and  expect  no  more  from  it  than  it  is  truly  able  to  perform. 
It  can  give  instruction.  There  will  always  be  an  essential 
difference  between  a  human  being  cultivated  and  unculti- 
vated. In  the  department  of  purchased  tuition,  you  will 
portion  out  to  the  best  advantage  many  of  those  precious 
hours  of  youth  which  never  will  return  ;  and  such  employ- 
ment will  lend  you  powerful  aid  in  forming  those  personal 
habits  which  lie  within  the  province  of  parental  education; 
but  rest  assured,  and  lay  it  down  to  yourselves  as  a  cardi- 
nal principle,  that  the  business  of  education,  properly  so 
called,  is  not  transferable.  You  may  engage  a  master,  .or 
masters,  as  numerous  as  you  please,  to  instruct  your  Chil- 
dren in  many  things,  useful  and  praiseworthy  in  their  own 
place,  but  you  must,  by  the  order  of  nature,  educate  them 
yourselves.  You  not  only  ought  to  do  it,  but  you  will  per- 
ceive that,  if  I  am  correct  in  what  I  have  stated,  and  may 
still  advance,  you  must  do  it,  whether  you  intend  it  or  not. 
"  The  Parent,"  said  Cecil,  "  is  not  to  stand  reasoning  and 
calculating.  God  has  said,  that  his  character  shall  have 
influence ;  and  so  this  appointment  of  Providence  becomes 
often  the  punishment  of  a  wicked  or  a  careless  man."  As 


DOMESTIC  EDUCATION.  359 

Education,  in  the  sense  I  have  explained,  is  a  thing 
necessary  for  all, — for  the  poor  and  for  the  rich — for  the 
illiterate  as  well  as  the  learned,  Providence  has  not  made 
it  dependent  on  systems,  uncertain,  operose,  and  difficult 
of  application.  Every  Parent,  therefore,  save  when  sep- 
arated altogether  from  his  Family,  may  be  seen  daily  in 
the  act  of  educating  his  Children  ;  for,  from  Father  and 
Mother,  and  the  circumstances  in  which  they  move,  the 
Children  are  daily  advancing  in  the  knowledge  of  what 
is  good  or  evil.  The  occupations  of  the  poor  man  at  his 
daily  labor,  and  of  the  man  of  business  in  his  counting- 
house,  cannot  interrupt  this  education.  In  both  instances 
the  Mother  is  plying  at  her  uninterrupted  avocations,  and 
her  example  is  powerfully  operating  every  hour,  while  at 
certain  intervals  daily,  as  well  as  every  morning  and  even- 
ing, all  things  come  under  the  potent  sway  of  the  Father 
or  the  Master,  whether  that  influence  be  good  or  bad. 
Here,  then,  is  one  school  from  which  there  are  no  truants, 
and  in  which  there  are  no  holidays. 

True,  indeed,  you  send  your  Children  to  another 
school,  and  this  is  the  very  best  in  the  whole  neighbor- 
hood ;  and  the  character  of  the  Master  there  is  not  only 
unexceptionable,  but  praiseworthy.  When  your  Children 
come  home,  too,  you  put  a  book,  of  your  own  selection, 
into  their  hands,  or  even  many  such  books,  and  they  read 
them  with  pleasure  and  personal  advantage.  Still,  after 
all  this,  never  for  one  day  forget,  that  the  first  book  they 
read,  nay,  that  which  they  continue  to  read,  and  by  far 
the  most  influential,  is  that  of  their  Parents'  example  and 
daily  deportment.  If  this  should  be  disregarded  by  you, 
or  even  forgotten,  then  be  not  at  all  surprised  when  you 
find,  another  day,  to  your  sorrow  and  vexation,  and  the 
interruption  of  your  business,  if  not  the  loss  of  all  your 
domestic  peace  and  harmony,  that  your  Children  only 
"  know  the  right  path,  but  still  follow  the  wrong." 


360  DOMESTIC  EDUCATION. 

Sure  I  am,  that  you  would  rather  come  to  any  trial, 
than  come  to  such  a  distracting  conclusion  as  this.  Well, 
then,  say  to  yourselves — What  became  of  Children  when 
there  were  no  books  whatever  in  existence  1  How  was  it 
that  Abraham  and  Job,  and  the  Parents  of  such  times, 
acquitted  themselves  so  well,  and  were  even  so  successful 
in  regard  to  their  Families?  Nay,  how  was  it  that  the 
generation  which  was  trained  even  in  the  wilderness,  be- 
tween Egypt  and  Canaan,  should  turn  out  to  be  perhaps 
the  very  best  which  Israel  ever  could  produce  during  their 
existence  as  a  nation  1  As  a  reproof  to  their  posterity, 
was  it  not  to  them  that  the  Lord  looked  back  with  such 
complacency,  many  ages  afterwards,  and  of  them  that  he 
then  said — "  I  remember  thee,  the  kindness  of  thy  youth, 
the  love  of  thine  espousals,"  or  stedfast  love,  "  when  thou 
wentest  after  me  in  the  wilderness,  in  a  land  that  was  not 
sown.  Israel  then  was  holiness  unto  the  Lord."  How 
was  all  this  1  Simply  because  these  Parents  well  under- 
stood the  subject  to  which  we  now  refer;  and  because 
that  generation  had  so  far  adopted  the  advice  of  Moses  on 
principle,  and  acted  accordingly.*  To  all  succeeding 
ages,  these  and  many  others  will  prove  standing  witnesses 
to  the  power  and  importance  of  what  has  already  been 
styled  the  Education  of  circumstances,  and  the  Education 
of  the  disposition. 

II.  THE  EDUCATION  OP  THE  DISPOSITIONS. — As  the 
Sacred  Scriptures  have  entered  so  deeply  into  the  various 
dispositions  of  the  human  character ;  explaining,  with 
great  minuteness,  and  almost  infinite  variety,  not  only 
what  they  are,  but  what  they  ought  to  be ;  I  presume  that 
you  will  make  them  your  guide,  in  training  or  educating 
the  dispositions  of  your  Children.  As  the  only  certain 

*  See  Deuteronomy  vi.  6—9,  and  xi.  18—21. 


DOMESTIC  EDUCATION.  361 

and  solid  foundation,  you  will  therefore,  of  course,  begin 
with 

Religious  Instruction,  properly  so  called.  As  a  basis 
for  such  instruction,  I  cannot  conceive  of  any  thing  which 
is  once  to  be  compared  with  the  law  of  God,  and  that 
simply  as  it  was  delivered,  and  is  recorded  in  Scripture ; 
for  it  is  a  singular  fact,  that,  with  the  exception  of  a  very 
few  words,  which  can  be  left  without  any  loss  or  injury 
to  a  future  period,  the  law  which  binds  angels  as  well  as 
men,  is  so  expressed,  as  to  be  level  to  the  capacity  even  of 
a  child.  We  have  no  ambiguity,  no  perplexity,  or  high- 
sounding  words  here.  The  majesty  of  thought  is  indeed 
divine ;  but  as  angels  themselves,  when  they  did  address 
men,  spake  with  great  simplicity  of  language,  so  the  Lord 
of  angels,  knowing  not  only  the  perversity  of  human  na- 
ture, but  the  limits  of  human  reason,  has  condescended  so 
to  express  his  will,  that,  in  his  law  especially,  there  should 
not  remain  the  shadow  of  an  apology  for  not  understanding 
it.  The  statute  laws  of  Great  Britain  are  said  to  amount 
to  about  twenty  folio  volumes,  and  the  unwritten,  to  many 
more ;  yet,  after  all,  cases  are  occurring,  even  in  our  day, 
to'  which  neither  of  these  can  reach !  Digests  of  these 
laws  are  also  still  only  in  the  course  of  publication,  and 
commentaries  are  endless ;  while,  in  regard  to  the  divine 
law,  it  has  been  both  summed  up  and  expanded  by  its 
Author,  in  a  style  and  manner  equally  plain  and  striking 
with  the  original  code  itself!  Never  was  any  law  so  briefly 
comprehended,  in  only  one  sentence,  without  losing  one 
iota  of  its  import  and  intention,  as  this  has  been.  Two 
commands  only,  like  pillars  of  the  moral  universe,  com- 
prise the  whole  ;  while  these  are  "  so  intelligible,  so  easily 
remembered,  and  so  easily  applied,  that  they  are  at  once 
level  to  the  capacity,  and  ready  for  the  use  of  every  moral 
being."  <  Thou  slialt  love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy 
31 


362  DOMESTIC  EDUCATION. 

heart,  and  with  all  thy  soul,  and  with  all  thy  mind ;  and 
thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself.  On  these  two 
commandments  hang  all  the  law  and  the  prophets.' 

Yet,  plain  and  perspicuous  as  is  this  law  of  ten  com- 
mandments itself,  its  expanded  interpretation  is  not  less 
remarkable  for  the  same  qualities.  In  the  interpretation 
of  human  statutes,  the  explanation  or  expansion  has  very 
often  had  the  effect  of  only  involving  the  law  of  the  land 
in  greater  obscurity  ;  and  human  comments  on  things 
divine,  have  not  unfrequently  had  the  same  effect.  Not  so 
when  God  condescends  to  become  his  own  interpreter. 
This  he  has  done  abundantly,  and  perhaps  on  no  subject 
has  he  been  more  copious,  than  in  the  varied  interpreta- 
tion of  his  own  law.  For  why  ?  His  law  is  but  the  tran- 
script of  his  own  glorious  character ;  and  taking  the 
Scriptures  as  a  whole,  what  are  they,  in  truth,  but  "  this 
law  expanded  into  more  minute  precepts  and  multiplied 
applications — enforced  by  the  happiest  comments,  and 
illustrated  by  the  most  useful  examples — but,  above  all, 
by  the  example  presented  to  us  in  the  all-perfect  and 
glorious  life  of  the  Son  of  God."— "  Thy  law,"  said  he, 
"  is  within  my  heart ;  I  delight  to  do  thy  will,  O  God." 

Take  then  this  law  as  the  basis  of  your  religious  educa- 
tion— the  only  basis,  assuredly,  of  all  the  religious  instruc- 
tion, which  produced  that  fine  generation  in  the  wilder- 
ness, to  which  allusion  has  been  made.  Explain  to  your 
Children,  whf  it  was  that  our  blessed  Lord  summed  up 
his  ten  commandments,  in  two.  Dwell  upon  this  sum- 
mary, occasionally.  Explain  every  word  of  it,  as  far  as 
you  can,  and  they  are  able  to  bear  it.  You  will,  of  course, 
try  to  instruct  always  persuasively,  and  most  by  example ; 
but  be  not  discouraged  at  their  not  comprehending  the 
whole.  It  is  a  common  mistake  tounder-rate  the  capacity 
of  Children  on  religious  subjects ;  but  depend  upon  this, 
you  will  often  find  more  difficulty  in  explaining  human 


DOMESTIC  EDUCATION.  363 

language  than  divine.  Go  on  ;  and  by  here  a  little  and 
there  a  little,  like  the  small  rain  upon  the  tender  grass, 
let  them  be  taught  to  observe,  the  personality  of  this  sum- 
mary— the  authority  of  it — its  spirituality — its  extent — 
and  the  divine  benevolence  running  through  the  whole. 

Perhaps  the  next  subject,  in  point  of  importance,  is  the 
violation  of  this  law ;  for  they  will  very  soon  indeed  re- 
mark its  violation  by  the  young,  but  especially  by  the  old. 
Now,  as  an  understanding  of  the  nature  of  sin,  so  far  from 
leading  to  its  commission,  lies  at  the  foundation  of  gen- 
uine religion,  explain  to  them,  as  the  Scriptures  so  pow- 
erfully, yet  prudently,  enable  you  to  do,  wherein  the  sin- 
fulness  of  sin  consists.  On  this  point  let  there  be  no 
misunderstanding,  much  less  confusion  or  ignorance,  so 
far  as  you  can  explain  it.  Never  attempt  too  much  ;  but, 
at  all  events,  let  sin  be  regarded  as  that  which  stands 
opposed  to  the  divine  character,  and  show  that  it  is  for- 
bidden by  him,  invariably,  because  such  is  his  character, 
and  therefore  his  will.  "  All  unrighteousness  is  sin,"  and 
"  sin  is  the  transgression  of  the  law,"  may  seem,  at  first 
reading,  to  be  inspired  assertions,  fit  only  for  the  contem- 
plation of  manhood.  But  this  is  a  great  mistake.  The 
conduct  of  your  own  Children  will  not  unfrequently,  alas ! 
furnish  you  with  a  commentary  on  both  passages.  "  Even 
a  child  is  known  by  his  doings,  whether  his  work  be  pure, 
and  whether  it  be  right."  Indeed  there  is  a  guileless 
simplicity  in  Children,  which  seems  as  though  it  were 
providentially  intended,  to  lay  them  open  to  the  Parent's 
judgment  of  their  state,  and  character,  and  condition;  and 
wo  to  that  Parent  who  takes  not  every  advantage  of  these 
early  days,  these  first  and  singular  opportunities,  which, 
when  once  lost,  never,  never  return  again  ! 

Amidst  all  this  species  of  instruction,  tenderly  adminis- 
tered, and  patiently  repeated,  be,  however,  most  especially 
careful,  that  they  can  observe  your  own  dread  of  sin,  and 


364  DOMESTIC  EDUCATION. 

your  own  fear  of  offending  God  in  any  way ;  for  surely 
you  must  have  observed,  how  much  Children  are  afraid  of 
any  thing,  at  which  their  Parents  express  or  evince  alarm  ; 
while,  at  the  same  moment,  your  dread  of  sin  must  appear 
to  them  to  be  only  an  effect  of  your  veneration  for  God, 
and  your  love  for  his  character.  The  fear  of  Isaac,  was 
an  expression  of  Jacob's,  descriptive  to  his  own  mind  of 
the  God  of  his  Father ;  which  he  seems  to  have  carried 
about  with  him  throughout  life  :  at  one  period,  preserving 
him  from  the  fear  of  man,  and  at  another,  expressive  of  his 
own  most  solemn  sense  of  obligation  to  the  Almighty. 
Whatever  instructions  you  give,  therefore,  on  the  subject 
of  sin  or  salvation,  be  assured  that,  in  connection  with 
the  divine  blessing  (for  which  you  daily  intercede,)  their 
effect  must  depend,  in  a  most  material  degree,  upon  your 
Children,  not  only  observing  that  you  esteem  all  Jehovah's 
precepts  concerning  all  things  to  be  right,  but  that  you 
yourself  hate  every  false  and  every  wicked  way. 

With  regard  to  the  Gospel  of  Salvation,  as  you  have 
been  laying  the  foundation  for  its  being  so  denominated, 
you  will  certainly  not  forget  to  explain  the  precise  mean- 
ing of  the  terms.  Be  sure  that  they  at  least  understand 
the  substance  of  that  which  constitutes  these  "  glad 
tidings."  Not  only  lead  them  to  such  summaries  as 
1  Corinthians  xv.  3,  4,  but  dwell  on  the  person,  and  the 
character,  and  the  words  of  the  Saviour — the  various  in- 
cidents of  his  life — the  expressions  of  his  heart — and  his 
peculiarly  affecting  discourses  towards  the  close  of  his 
obedience  unto  death.  Explain  to  them  his  whole  life,  as 
a  course  of  stedfast,  and  uninterrupted,  and  perfect  glori- 
fying of  God,  by  an  obedience  to  the  law  ;  as  being  also 
at  once  a  course  of  substitution  for  sinful  men,  and  an  all- 
perfect  example  to  his  followers.  Nay,  so  explain  these 
as  to  show,  that  his  whole  life  can  be  accounted  for,  on 
no  other  principles.  Dwell  upon  his  cross  as  an  atone- 


DOMESTIC  EDUCATION.  365 

ment  for  sin ;  by  which  God,  who  has  been  so  dishonored, 
and  offended  so  justly,  and  we,  who  have  offended  without 
cause,  may  be  again  at-one  or  agreed.  Follow  Him  to 
the  glory  to  which  he  is  gone.  Let  them  know  that  he 
there  lives — there  reigns — there  triumphs  before  his  an- 
cients gloriously. 

There  are  few  subjects  respecting  which  Children  are 
more  pleased  to  hear,  than  the  heavenly  world ;  as  if,  in 
effect,  they  were  telling  their  very  Parents,  that  they  have 
been  born  for  immortality,  and  have  already  set  out  upon 
their  mysterious  journey  to  the  skies.  If  you  then  only 
read  the  Sacred  Volume,  with  the  requisite  dispositions  of 
mind,  while  you  will  be  easily  able  to  explain  that  state  of 
glory,  but  taking  away  all  the  drawbacks  and  incon- 
venience, the  griefs  and  sorrows  of  the  present  scene,  you 
will  be  far  from  saying,  that  you  can  only  dwell  upon  the 
subject,  negatively.  This,  you  will  say,  is  but  one  view 
that  is  given  to  us,  chiefly  with  the  design  of  supporting 
us  through  this  vale  of  tears. 

No ;  if  indeed  you  yourself  are  come  "  unto  Mount 
Zion — and  unto  the  city  of  the  living  God,  the  heavenly 
Jerusalem — and  to  an  innumerable  company  of  angels — 
to  the  general  assembly  and  church  of  the  first-born, 
which  are  written  in  heaven — and  to  God  the  Judge  of 
all — and  to  the  spirits  of  just  men  made  perfect — and  to 
Jesus  the  Mediator  of  the  new  covenant — and  to  the 
blood  of  sprinkling  which  speaketh  better  things  than  that 
of  Abel;"  or,  in  other  words,  if  your  "affections  are  set 
on  things  above,  not  on  things  on  the  earth,"  then  will 
your  Children  know  this,  and  see  it,  and  believe  it.  Here 
a  little,  and  there  a  little,  by  line  upon  line,  and  one 
casual  remark  after  another,  you  may  go  forward  without 
disquietude.  God  has  promised  his  especial  blessing ;  and 
on  other  days  and  years,  your  Children  may  be  even  heard 
to  say — "  However  much  we  are  pleased  to  read  them,  we 
31* 


366  DOMESTIC  EDUCATION. 

want  no  arguments  in  favor  of  Christianity,  external  or 
internal.  My  Father  and  Mother/'  says  one,  speaking 
for  the  rest,  "I  am  sure,  were  consistent  Christians,  and 
they  were  truly  happy,  and  amiable,  and  interesting,  in 
the  exemplification  of  that  religion,  which  I  can  never  for 
a  moment  doubt  that  they  possessed.  By  all  this,  when 
alive,  they  allured  to  brighter  worlds ;  and  now  that  they 
are  gone,  it  really  seems  as  though  it  were,  in  a  humbler 
sense,  to  prepare  the  way  for  us.  Jesus  indeed  hath  done 
so,  and  perfectly  ;  but  at  least  it  appears  to  us,  as  though 
such  Christian  Parents  were  not  without  their  share  of 
influence,  in  the  same  direction.  At  all  events,  I  am 
sure  of  this,  that  their  usefulness  and  influence  did  not 
die  with  them ;  and  I  am  also  sure,  that  this  world  is  not 
now  to  me,  in  all  respects,  what  it  was  then  ;  and  that  in 
that  world,  I  feel  a  tenderness  of  interest,  which,  but  for 
them,  I  might  have  either  never  felt,  or  never  felt  to  the 
same  degree." 

Surely  this  would  prove  reward,  rich  and  ample,  for  all 
your  pains  and  patience,  when  fulfilling,  from  day  to  day, 
a  duty  which  God  and  nature  so  evidently  and  strongly 
imposed.  Though  even  this  is  far  from  reaching  what 
often  happens.  Long  before  you  leave  this  changing 
scene,  they  may  give  you  the  most  indubitable  and  de- 
lightful evidence,  that  in  due  time  they  will  follow  you  to 
that  unfading  inheritance  "  into  which  no  enemy  can  ever 
enter,  and  from  which  no  friend  ever  departs." 

Besides  all  this,  Parents  themselves  especially  have  to 
look  forward.  With  them  the  day  is  turned,  and  the  days 
of  darkness  may  yet  be  many.  At  such  a  season,  oh, 
what  value  is  often  stamped  on  these  patient  and  assiduous 
endeavors,  in  training  up  a  Child  in  the  way  in  which  he 
should  go !  Whether  to  Father  or  Mother,  I  would  say — 
Is  it  a  small  matter,  think  you,  when  you  are  come  to 


DOMESTIC  EDUCATION.  367 

descend  the  hill  of  life,  and  the  knees  wax  feeble,  that 
then — 

"  When  thou  wilt  need  some  comfort  to  assuage 
Health's  last  farewell,  a  staff  of  thine  old  age  ; 
That  then,  in  recompense  of  all  thy  cares, 
Thy  child  shall  show  respect  to  thy  gray  hairs ;, 
Befriend  thee,  though  of  other  friends  bereft, 

And  give  thy  life  its  only  cordial  left  ? 

Aware  then  how  much  danger  intervenes, 
To  compass  that  good  end,  forecast  the  means. 
His  heart,  now  passive,  yields  to  thy  command ;. 
Secure  it  thine — its  key  is  in  thine  hand." 

In  one  word,  with  regard  to  Christianity,  let  the  regula- 
tion of  the  judgment,  a  reference  to  the  conscience,  and 
the  impression  of  the  heart,  be  your  habitual  and  ultimate 
aim,  in  all  that  you  say  or  do.  Care  not  for  worldly,  and, 
above  all,  what  are  called  fashionable  ideas  on  this 
subject.  Do  your  duty  :  and  ever  rest  assured,  not  only 
that  "  the  most  important  and  purest  source  of  knowledge 
is  the  simple  and  unprejudiced  study  of  the  Bible,"  but 
that  of  all  books  in  existence,  the  Scriptures,  as  a  whole, 
are  most  intelligible  to  Children.  The  fundamental  truths 
drawn  from  this  source,  to  which  I  have  adverted,  re- 
member also,  belong  to  no  one  rank  in  life  only.  In 
these,  Children,  as  such,  are  not  only  interested,  but  to 
them,  they  are  of  equal  importance,  whether  they  are 
rich  or  poor,  whether  they  are  to  travel  the  lowest  or  the 
highest  walks  of  society.  Rely  upon  it,  that  education 
which  does  not  fully,  and  carefully,  and  patiently  com- 
municate these  truths,  must  ever  prove  essentially,  not  to 
say  cruelly  defective. 

The  whole  circle  of  dispositions  I  need  not,  perhaps 
could  not,  go  over ;  but  a  few  of  those,  for  which  no 
school  ever  was,  or  ever  can  be  opened,  will  sufficiently 
explain  what  I  intend,  and,  I  would  fain  hope,  impress 
the  minds  of  some  Parents  more  deeply,  with  the  vast 


368  DOMESTIC  EDUCATION. 

importance  of  this  untransferable  department  of  parental 
duty. 

Wisdom  and  Prudence. — The  wisest  of  men  has  long 
ago  told  us,  that  Wisdom  'dwells'  with  Prudence;  yet 
many  there  are,  who  never  think  of  these,  though  the 
K|ng  and  Queen  of  all  the  excellencies  in  the  human 
disposition.  They  aim  at  learning,  and  the  subtleties  of 
speculative  knowledge,  rather  than  wisdom.  They  fill 
the  memory  and  warm  the  fancy  with  fictitious  narrative, 
instead  of  strengthening  the  judgment,  regulating  the 
conscience,  or  training  the  will.  Instead  of  laboring  to 
make  their  Children  wise  and  prudent,  conscientious,  and 
considerate,  and  humane,  their  main  object  is  to  make 
them  clever,  and  expert,  and  fine  scholars ;  so  that  ulti- 
mately they  may,  if  possible,  be  rich  and  admired.  Trie 
great  matter,  in  short,  is,  that,  in  their  day,  they  may 
'make  a  figure'  in  the  world.  As  the  method  pursued 
feeds  at  once  the  vanity  of  both  parties,  as  well  as  that  of 
their  connections,  Parents  are  at  great  expense,  and  their 
Children  at  great  pains,  to  gain  this  knowledge  and  these 
accomplishments  ;  yet,  oh,  what  a  poor  conclusion  is  at 
last  gained,  though  often  not  gained.!  At  how  much  less 
expense  of  money,  and  though  more  of  personal  labor, 
yet  of  personal  profit,  might  they  have  made  them  wise, 
and  prudent,  and  fit  for  the  bustle  and  the  business  of 
life. 

Parents  should  ever  remember,  that  there  may  be  those 
who  must  and  will  make  a  trade  of  mere  learning,  and 
who  may  sink  it  down  into  a  mercenary,  pedantic,  and 
merely  mechanical  thing.  To  neglect  the  higher  ground 
on  which  nature  hath  placed  them,  and  deliver  over  their 
dear  Children  to  such,  all  the  while  conceiving  that,  when 
they  have  paid  the  school-fees,  they  have  done  their  duty, 
and  are  really  determined  to  give  them,  what  is  often 


DOMESTIC  EDUCATION.  369 

strangely  called,  '  a  good  education,'  is  a  mistake  for 
which  they  will,  another  day,  pay  very  dear.  What  they 
thus  sow  they  shall  one  day  reap ;  and  if  any  Parents 
wish  to  avoid  such  an  error,  let  them  only  contemplate 
sedately  the  difference  between  learning  and  wisdom,  and 
they  will  soon,  not  only  pause,  but  pursue  a  more  excel- 
lent way. 

Learning  is  good  in  its  own  place  ;  but  it  should  not  be 
forgotten,  that  it  is  simply  a  collection  of  the  excellencies 
of  others  laid  up  in  the  memory.  Shallow  draughts,  the 
too  common  result  of  such  a  race  after  accomplishments, 
only  intoxicate ;  and  even  when  learning  is  pursued  to  a 
height,  it  is  but  a  poor  acquirement  compared  with  wis- 
dom. This  is  the  calm  and  regular  government  of  the 
soul,  leading  its  possessor  to  observe  true  measures,  and 
suitable  decorum  in  words,  in  thought,  and  in  action. 
Learning  will  civilize,  and  polish,  and  refine,  but  of  itself 
cannot  moralize  or  sweeten  the  temper,  or  abate  resent- 
ment. On  the  contrary,  by  itself,  it  sets  a  keener  edge 
upon  the  calamities  of  life,  and  renders  the  man  or  the 
woman  impatient  and  peevish,  if  their  merits  are  not  ap- 
preciated, as  their  vanity  suggests  they  should  be.  In  the 
whole  world  there  is  perhaps  no  man  so  much  alive  to 
misery,  and  in  fact  so  miserable,  as  a  profligate  scholar, 
while  his  profligacy  may,  in  most  cases,  be  traced,  if  not 
to  the  example,  yet  to  the  neglect  of  his  Parents.  They 
observed  not,  or  would  not  observe,  the  difference  between 
learning  and  wisdom.  They  gave  him  the  one,  and  paid 
for  it  too,  frequently  saying,  that  they  felt  resolved  to  spare 
no  expense  in  giving  him  '  a  good  education ; '  but  they 
neglected  to  labor  in  their  own  appropriate  sphere  to  com- 
municate and  instil  the  other. 

Learning  alone  is  captious  and  arrogant,  indiscreet  and 
ill-mannered,  presumptuous  and  addicted  to  dispute.  Wis- 
dom is  modest  and  unpretending,  gentle  and  peaceable, 


370  DOMESTIC  EDUCATION. 

full  of  respect  for  inferiors  as  well  as  superiors,  and  full  of 
respect  for  all.  Learning  alone,  also,  is  riot  only  affected 
and  full  of  pretence,  but  it  consists  in  talk,  rather  than  in 
action  ;  while  wisdom  is  active  and  efficacious ;  manages 
and  governs  ;  is  never  troublesome ;  and  when  it  seems 
so,  is  never  out  of  time  or  place.  If,  then,  there  is  such 
a  superiority  in  wisdom,  patiently  acquired  at  the  side  of 
the  household  fire,  over  merely  acquired  knowledge,  let 
Parents  beware  of  their  Child  being  brought  up  to  be  a 
mere  scholar. 

It  is  certainly  a  curious  circumstance  to  see  these  two 
so  often  separated — a  learned  man  without  wisdom,  and  a 
wise  man  with  but  little  learning  ;  but  this  is  a  separation 
which  might  most  frequently,  and  with  great  ease,  be 
traced  to  the  Parents  of  these  men.  Since  wisdom,  there- 
fore, is  not  taught  at  any  school,  and  the  wisdom  of  which 
I  speak  cannot  there  be  infused,  it  remains  for  Parents 
alone  to  turn  out  such  men  and  women  into  the  world  as 
have  a  measure  of  both  in  union.  They  may  pay  for 
learning,  but  they  must  teach  wisdom.  At  all  events  no 
one  else  will — no  one  can.  It  is  not  the  teacher's  busi- 
ness, in  general,  but  it  is  the  Parent's,  universally,  to  say 
— "  Wisdom  is  the  principal  thing  :  my  son,  get  wisdom  ; 
and  with  all  thy  getting,  get  understanding."  When  the 
boy  reads,  and  acquits  himself  well,  the  teacher  may 
indeed  say — "  I  taught  the  boy,"  but  it  remains  for  the 
Father  or  the  Mother  to  add,  with  far  different  feelings, 
"  I  have  taught  him  in  the  way  of  wisdom,  and  I  led  him 
in  right  paths.  Often,  often  have  I  said — '  Be  not  wise 
in  thine  own  eyes  :  trust  in  the  Lord  with  all  thine  heart, 
and  lean  not  to  thine  own  understanding.  In  all  thy 
ways  acknowledge  Him,  and  He  will  direct  thy  paths.'  " 

Prudence,  too,  or  wisdom  applied  to  practice,  or  the 
practice  of  acting  with  uprightness,  it  is  your  province  to 
teach;  for  though  the  inconstancy  and  uncertainty  of  all 


OF  THE 
DOMESTIC  EDUCATICJU  jj  j  y  j,  ££  J  ?  y ; 

sublunary  things  render  it  a  difficult^  acqairement,  still 
there  is  such  an  excellency,  and  one  of  great  value. 
Though  "  the  race  is  not  to  the  swift,  nor  the  -brittle  to 
the  strong,  nor  yet  riches  to  men  of  understanding,"  still 
there  is  an  order  and  succession  in  human  events,  which 
render  prudence  of  essential  moment.  There  is  a  time, 
and  there  is  a  manner  too,  in  human  things  :  hence  the 
wise  man's  heart  is  said  to  "  discern  both  time  and 
judgment." 

Truth  and  Sincerity. — Telling  the  truth,  upon  all  oc- 
casions, can  only  result  from  loving  it ;  but  as  no  one  can 
be  expected  to  see  the  beauty,  as  well  as  the  justice  of 
truth  and  uprightness,  between  man  and  man,  or  child 
and  child,  except  he  be  instructed  in  and  by  the  truth  or 
word  of  God  ;  so  upon  you,  in  a  special  and  peculiar 
degree,  must  depend  the  means  by  which  alone  your 
Children  are  to  be  possessed  of  this  conscientious  and 
willing  regard,  to  the  dispositions  of  sincerity  or  integrity, 
in  all  they  say  or  do.  The  understanding  of  these  funda- 
mental truths  of  Christianity,  therefore,  to  which  I  have 
adverted,  however  much  they  have  been  overlooked  or 
disdained,  will  be  found,  I  am  persuaded,  the  seed,  and 
the  only  security  of  that  sincerity  and  regard  for  truth,  on 
all  occasions,  which  you  desire  to  infuse.  I  trust  you 
know  Him  who  "  desireth  truth  in  the  inward  parts,"  and 
who  alone  can  create  in  your  dear  Children  that  spirit  in 
which  "there  is  no  guile."  He  alone  "  in  the  hidden 
part"  can  "make  them  to  know  wisdom";  and  to  him 
therefore  must  you  ever  look :  for  not  only  is  "  under- 
standing a  well-spring  of  life  to  him  that  hath  it,"  and  the 
"  wise  in'  heart  called  prudent,"  but  "  the  heart  of  the 
wise  teacheth  his  mouth,  and  addeth  learning,"  and  sin- 
cerity and  truth  "  to  his  lips." 

There  is  one  melancholy  reason  for  you,  as  Parents, 


372  DOMESTIC  EDUCATION. 

paying  a  vigilant  regard  to  truth  and  accuracy  in  the  most 
trifling  occurrences  of  life  yourselves;  that  is  the  degree 
of  falsehood  and  mistake  which  exist  in  the  world.  "No- 
thing but  experience,"  said  Dr.  Johnson,  "  could  evince 
the  frequency  of  false  information,  or  enable  any  man  to 
conceive  that  so  many  groundless  reports  should  be 
propagated,  as  every  man  of  eminence  may  hear  of  him- 
self. Some  men  relate  what  they  think  as  what  they 
know;  some  men  of  confused  memories  and  habitual 
inaccuracy,  ascribe  to  one  man  what  belongs  to  another  ; 
and  some  talk  on  without  thought  or  care.  A  few  men 
are  sufficient  to  broach  falsehoods,  which  are  afterwards 
innocently  diffused  by  successive  relaters."  In  the  train- 
ing of  Children,  therefore,  a  strict  attention,  on  the  part 
of  Parents,  to  truth,  even  in  the  most  minute  particulars, 
is  of  the  first  importance.  "Accustom  your  Children," 
said  the  same  author,  "  constantly  to  this ;  if  a  thing 
happened  at  one  window,  and  they,  when  relating  it,  say 
that  it  happened  at  another,  do  not  let  it  pass,  but  in- 
stantly check  them  ;  you  do  not  know  where  deviation  from 
truth  will  end."  "  But,"  said  a  lady  at  the  table,  "  little 
variations  in  narrative  must  happen  a  thousand  times 
a-day,  if  one  is  not  perpetually  watching."  "  Well, 
madam,"  he  replied,  "  and  you  ought  to  be  perpetually 
watching.  It  is  more  from  carelessness  about  truth,  than 
from  intentional  lying,  that  there  is  so  much  falsehood  in 
the  world." 

Should  you,  then,  only  guard  yourselves,  habitually, 
against  inaccuracy  and  exaggeration,  you  will  also  encour- 
age your  Children  uniformly  to  tell  the  truth,  whether  for 
or  against  themselves.  To  assist  you  in  promoting  this, 
you.  will  find  in  the  Scriptures,  both  of  the  Old  and  New 
Testaments,  most  powerful  assistance.  See  Moses  frankly 
and  openly  leaving  it  upon  record,  not  only  that  his  brother 
had  been  verging  towards  idolatry,  and  his  two  nephews 


DOMESTIC  EDUCATION.  373 

struck  dead,  but  that  he  himself  was  a  man  "slow  of 
speech  ;"  Isaiah,  that  he  was  "a  man  of  unclean  lips  ;" 
Jeremiah,  that  "  he  could  not  speak,  for  he  was  a  child ; " 
Amos,  as  artlessly  telling,  that  he  "was  no  prophet, 
neither  a  prophet's  son,  but  an  herdman  and  a  gatherer  of 
sycamore  fruit,  when  the  Lord  took  him  as  he  followed 
the  flock,  and  said  to  him,  Go  prophesy  unto  my  people 
Israel." 

Point  your  Children  to  such  instances  in  the  New 
Testament,  as  that  of  Matthew  telling  us  himself,  what 
the  other  evangelists  have  not,  that  he  had  been  a  "  pub- 
lican," which  in  those  days  was  often  nothing  short  of  an 
extortioner.  Show  them,  that  when  the  disciples,  all  unit- 
ed, could  not  cure  a  man,  they  tell  us,  and  Matthew,  one 
of  themselves,  must  tell  us  also  the  cause — their  unbelief; 
that  they  all  agree  in  leaving  upon  record  their  ambitious 
contest  for  superiority,  as  to  which  of  themselves  should 
be  the  greatest ;  and  after  all,  their  universal  departure 
from  Jesus  when  apprehended.  Show  them  that  none  of 
the  evangelists  conceal  Peter's  fall;  nay,  that  Mark,  who 
is  supposed  to  have  been  under  the  eye  of  Peter,  records 
it  with  additional  aggravation,  noticing  also  what  the 
others  had  omitted,  that  warning  which  the  first  crowing 
of  the  cock  should  have  given  him.  So  also  Luke  neither 
conceals  the  contemptuous  opinion  which  the  Jewish  San- 
hedrim had  of  Peter  and  John,  nor  the  still  more  con- 
temptuous idea  which  the  Athenians  entertained  of  Paul; 
while,  at  the  same  time,  Paul  himself  regards  Luke  as 
"the  beloved  physician,"  if  not  "the  brother  whose  praise 
was  in  all  the  churches." 

If  any  man  will  not  bejieve  such  speakers  of  truth  as 
these,  you  can  say  to  your  Children,  then  there  is  no  help 
for  him.  Greater  marks  of  sincerity  can  nowhere  else  be 
found ;  and  this  which  you  have  pointed  out  to  them  is 
but  one  of  the  features  of  sincerity — that  they  always 
32 


374  DOMESTIC  EDUCATION. 

tell  the  truth,  whether  it  is  for  or  against  themselves. 
And  of  what  advantage  is  that  to  them  now  that  they  are 
gone?  or  to  the  cause  which  they  had  all  espoused? 
Why,  that  their  character  as  men  is  unimpeachable,  and 
that  their  testimony  is  now,  and  ever  will  be,  invulnerable. 
The  very  infidel,  yes, 

"  The  infidel  has  shot  his  bolts  away, 
Till  his  exhausted  quiver,  yielding  none, 
He  gleans  the  blunted  shafts  that  have  recoil'd, 
And  aims  them  at  the  shield  of  truth  again;  " 

but  still  in  vain,  and  so  it  ever  must  be.  Now,  if  your 
Children  only  possess  this  disposition,  whether  you  leave 
them  rich  or  poor,  you  will  have  implanted  one  of  the 
best  securities  for  their  being  respected,  and  respectable, 
whatever  be  their  station  in  future  life. 

If,  however,  you  really  wish  them  to  possess  this,  or 
shall  I  say,  inherit  it  from  yourself?  then  will  you  never 
amuse  them,  as  some  foolish  people  do,  by  attempting  to 
deceive  them :  and  then  will  you  never  employ  cunning, 
or  artifice  of  any  kind,  to  gain  your  end,  or,  as  some 
strangely  dream,  save  trouble.  Artifice  is  detected  by 
Children  far  sooner  than  many  imagine ;  and  once  de- 
tected in  you,  you  have  given  your  character  a  stab.  You 
will  also  as  carefully  beware  of  urging  your  Children 
strongly,  or  with  violence,  whether  of  temper  or  manner, 
to  confession  of  any  thing,  even  of  any  thing  which  you 
suspect ;  and  should  you  even  inadvertently,  at  any  time, 
accuse  a  Child  falsely — a  mistake  which  inevitably  tends 
to  break  the  spirit,  and  diminish  his  sense  of  integrity — 
then,  for  such  a  mistake,  you  must  make  an  apology  to 
your  Child. 

Have  patience,  then,  and  look  up  to  the  Tmplanter  of 
this  invaluable  disposition ;  and  the  day  may  come,  even 
in  this  life,  when  you  will  receive  your  reward ;  when  you 
will  be  able,  without  any  danger  of  increasing  the  vanity 


DOMESTIC  EDUCATION.  375 

of  your  Child,  to  address  him  in  terms  such  as  I  hope,  at 
present,  meet  your  warmest  wish.  "My  son,  if  thine 
heart  be  wise,  my  heart  shall  rejoice,  even  mine ;  yea,  my 
reins  shall  rejoice  when  thy  lips  speak  right  things." 

Industry  and  Economy. — "Industry  is  the  source,  and 
economy  the  preservation,  of  all  the  comfortable  subsist- 
ence of  man.  But  industry,  as  is  proverbially  observed, 
is  not  natural  to  the  human  race.  On  the  contrary,  it  is 
the  result  of  education  and  habit  only.  Accordingly,  the 
savages  in  all  countries,  being  uneducated  to  industrious 
exertion,  are  lazy  in  the  extreme,  and  are  roused  to  toil 
only  by  the  calls  of  hunger.  This  cannot  even  be  begun, 
as  the  education  whence  it  is  derived  cannot  exist  to  any 
considerable  extent,  but  in  families;  nor  by  any  other 
persons  except  Parents;  nor  at  any  other  period  beside 
childhood.  Without  families,  indeed,  industry  would  not 
exist;  and  without  industry,  the  world  would  be  a  desert, 

"  Economy  is  not  less  necessary  to  human  comfort  than 
industry,  and  is  still  more  unnatural  to  man.  It  demands 
the  attention  of  every  day  to  those  things  which  we  are  to 
preserve;  and  this  attention  is  more  irksome  than  labor 
itself.  Fewer  persons  overcome  their  reluctance  to  it. 
Savages  are  always  squanderers.  Exposed  as  they  are 
perpetually  to  want  and  famine,  and  frequently  and  dis- 
tressingly as  they  suffer  from  these  evils,  such  is  their 
reluctance  to  this  employment,  that  they  go  on  from  age 
to  age,  wasting,  and  suffering,  and  perishing. 

"Early,  watchful,  and  long-continued  parental  educa- 
tion, will  therefore  alone  establish  a  habit  of  either 
industry  or  economy.  The  attention,  the  authority,  and 
the  example  of  Parents,  are  all  equally  and  indispensably 
necessary  to  the  creation  of  these  habits ;  and  without 
them  all,  they  cannot,  in  any  extensive  degree,  exist. 
Savages,  indeed,  have  families,  and  are  married  Parents. 


376  DOMESTIC  EDUCATION. 

It  may,  therefore,  be  asked,  Why  their  Children  are  not 
educated  to  these  habits  ?  The  answer  I  have  already 
given.  Neither  the  attention,  the  authority,  nor  the  ex- 
ample of  such  Parents,  are  at  all  exerted  for  this  end,  so 
far  as  their  male  Children  are  concerned,  and  very  im- 
perfectly with  regard  to  the  other  sex.  Of  these,  how- 
ever, both  the  industry  and  economy  fully  answer  to  the 
degree  of  education  which  they  receive,  and  to  the  oppor- 
tunities which  they  enjoy  of  exercising  them.  My  posi- 
tion is,  without  a  domestic  education  these  things  would 
never  exist ;  not  that  that  education,  be  it  what  it  may, 
or  that  a  mere  domestic  existence,  will  give  them  birth. 
Besides,  savage  Parents  neither  understand  nor  perform 
the  great  body  of  duties  created  by  this  institution :  yet 
even  they,  in  these,  as  well  as  in  other  important  par- 
ticulars, derive  real  and  considerable  advantages  from  the 
domestic  state."* 

Humanity. — It  is  certainly  a  humiliating  thought,  that 
inhumanity,  as  the  very  word  implies,  is  a  vice  peculiar 
to  man;  for  in  any  species  of  the  inferior  creation  we 
search  in  vain  for  a  parallel  disposition.  Never  do  they 
devour  and  prey  upon  their  own  species;  and  when  they 
do  fight  with  each  other,  it  is,  generally,  in  consequence 
of  their  being  teased  and  trained  by  the  more  savage 
disposition  of  human  beings.  Well  then  may  humanity 
begin  with  initiating  Children,  from  infancy,  into  the 
compassion  which  they  owe  to  their  own  species.  The 
following  passages  of  Sacred  Writ  are  not  only  so  in- 
telligible even  to  the  young,  but  so  beautiful  and  tender 
in  themselves,  that  they  require  no  comment.  Only  re- 
gard them  as  a  proof  of  the  divine  will  on  this  subject, 
and  of  the  wonderful  adaptation  of  his  word,  however 

. , — ^ 

*  Dwight. 


DOMESTIC  EDUCATION.  377 

despised,  for  assisting  you  in  impressing  the  heart  of  a 
Child  : 

"  Ye  shall  not  afflict  any  widows  or  fatherless  child.  If  thou  af- 
flict them  in  anywise,  and  they  cry  at  all  unto  me,  I  will  surely 
hear  their  cry ;  and  my  wrath  shall  wax  hot,  and  1  will  kill  you  with 
the  sword ;  and  your  wives  shall  be  widows,  and  your  children  fa- 
therless." 

"  Thou  shalt  rise  up  before  the  hoary  head,  and  honor  the  face 
of  the  old  man,  and  fear  thy  God  :  I  am  the  Lord." 

"  If  a  stranger  sojourn  with  thee  in  your  land,  ye  shall  not  vex 
him ;  but  the  stranger  that  dwelleth  with  you  shall  be  unto  you  as 
one  born  among  you,  and  thou  shalt  love  him  as  thyself." 

"If thou  meet  thine  enemy's  ox  or  his  ass  going  astray,  thou 
shalt  surely  bring  it  to  him  again.  If  thou  see  the  ass  of  him  that 
hateth  thee  lying  under  his  burden,  and  wouldest  forbear  to  help 
him,  thou  shalt  surely  help  with  him." 

"  Thou  shalt  not  see  thy  brother's  ox  or  his  sheep  go  astray,  and 
hide  thyself  from  them  :  thou  shalt  in  anywise  bring  them  again  to 
thy  brother.  And  if  thy  brother  be  not  nigh  unto  thee,  or  if  thou 
know  him  not,  then  thou  shalt  bring  it  unto  thine  own  house,  and  it 
shall  be  with  thee  until  thy  brother  seek  after  it,  and  thou  shalt  re- 
store it  to  him  again.  In  like  manner  shalt  thou  do  with  his  ass  ; 
and  so  shalt  thou  do  with  his  raiment,  and  with  all  lost  things  of 
thy  brother's,  which  he  hath  lost,  and  thou  hast  found,  shalt  thou 
do  likewise  :  thou  mayest  not  hide  thyself." 

"  Sirx  days  thou  shalt  do  thy  work,  and  on  the  seventh  thou  shalt 
rest ;  that  thine  ox  and  thine  ass  may  rest,  and  the  son  of  thine- 
handmaid,  and  the  stranger,  may  be  refreshed." 

Forget  not  to  show  them  that  humanity  was  to  be  culti- 
vated, because  God  has  so  enjoined  men  ;  and  you  can 
also  show  them,  that,  for  their  own  sakes,  it  was  to  be 
cultivated,  as  a  disposition  in  which  God  delights.  Hence 
no  man  was  to  curse  the  deaf,  though  such  a  one  could 
neither  hear  the  offender,  nor  feel  the  offence ;  nor  was 
any  one  to  lay  a  stumbling-block  before  the  blind,  of  what- 
ever character,  who  could  never  see  who  was  the  guilty 
party !  The  sick,  too,  you  may  remark,  the  infirm,  and 
32* 


378  DOMESTIC  EDUCATION. 

the  absent,  were  alike  protected  by  that  universal  hu- 
manity, which,  as  it  is  enjoined,  so  it  also  cometh  down 
from  above. 

Many  such  precepts  will  you  find  in  the  Sacred  Vol- 
ume ;  and  if  you  desire  a  commentary,  point  your  Chil- 
dren to  such  passages  as  that  of  the  good  Samaritan, 
mentioned  by  our  blessed  Lord,  and  those  precepts  of  his, 
which  prove  so  powerfully  that  his  "  heart  was  made  of 
tenderness." 

Much  has  been  said,  in  our  day,  respecting  cruelty  to 
animals,  and  no  reprobation  can  be  too  severe ;  but  amidst 
all  this  just  and  merited  reprobation,  looking  over  the 
whole  fabric  of  society,  who  will  teach,  or  rather  who  can 
infuse  humanity  1  However  nicely  balanced,  and,  at  first 
sight,  finely  adapted,  any  act  of  human  legislation  should 
seem,  though  it  were  to  pass  both  Houses  unanimously, 
and  with  the  concurrent  voice  of  the  entire  nation,  how 
inoperative  and  ineffectual  must  it  prove  in  the  result ! 
And  still  would  the  question  return,  though  with  redoubled 
emphasis — Who  shall  teach,  or  who  can  infuse  humanity? 
The  truth  is,  that  humanity  lies  within  the  sphere  of  sa- 
cred legislation  ;  and  this  consideration  renders  its  viola- 
tion much  more  serious  than  many  imagine ; 

"  For  many  a  crime,  deem'd  innocent  on  earth, 
Is  register'd  in  heaven ;  and  these  no  doubt 
Have  each  their  record,  with  a  curse  annex'd." 

Here,  then,  is  one  subject  which  purchased  tuition  can- 
not reach,  and  which  is  also  above  the  sphere  and  power 
of  legislation.  One  should  have  imagined,  that  the  vexa- 
tion which  such  cruelty  has  given  to  the  benevolent  and 
thoughtful  mind,  and  the  impotence  of  all  human  enact- 
ments, to  produce  the  desired  effect,  might  have  led  many 
to  look  round  and  inquire — Whether  there  was  any  such 
thing  in  existence,  as  a  fountain  of  tenderness  ?  or 


DOMESTIC  EDUCATION.  379 

whether  the  provision  which  the  Almighty  has  supplied, 
had  not  been  overlooked.  Meanwhile,  I  may  be  permitted 
to  avail  myself,  of  this  strong  and  pointed  argument,  in 
favor  of  the  Domestic  Constitution.  As  the  gracious  and 
Almighty  Founder  of  the  human  family,  intended  thereby 
to  produce  and  prolong  natural  affection,  so  it  will  ever  be 
found,  that  Parents  must  prove  the  fountain  of  tenderness 
and  humanity  in  a  nation,  if  tenderness  is  there.  To 
them,  as  such,  after  every  expedient  has  proved  abortive, 
must  the  wise,  and  the  humane,  and  the  men  of  active 
goodness,  at  last  turn  the  voice  of  warning,  and  the  sup- 
plicating eye. 

Having  found  out  the  parties,  who,  by  the  institution 
and  appointment  of  God,  alone  possess  the  ability,  one 
point  is  gained.  Let  them  only  consider,  how  much  it  is 
their  own  personal  interest,  as  well  as  their  duty,  that 
their  will,  in  this  matter,  should  correspond  with  their 
incumbent  obligations.  Addressing  myself,  therefore,  to 
Parents,  I  would  entreat  them  to  observe,  that  the  animal 
creation,  whatever  the  jovial  and  the  gay  may  think,  ac- 
tually possess  rights  ;  and,  as  the  creatures  of  God,  these 
rights  cannot  be  invaded  with  impunity.  Hence  cruelty 
to  animals,  directly  and  powerfully  tends  to  render  those 
who  are  guilty  of  it,  cruel  to  their  own  species.  Hogarth's 
four  stages  of  cruelty,  shrewdly  commence  here,  and  end 
with  murder — the  gallows — and  public  dissection.  So 
that  carelessness  in  this  one  matter  may,  before  long,  in 
some  way  or  another,  rebound  even  upon  yourselves,  and 
may  pierce  you  to  the  heart,  or  bring  your  grey  hairs  with 
sorrow  to  the  grave  !  But  you  profess  to  believe  in  the 
corruption  of  human  nature  ?  Well,  then,  as  the  rebel  is 
generally  himself  possessed  of  a  tyrannical  disposition,  so 
man,  generally,  possessing  this  character,  even  from  in- 
fancy, is  naturally  inclined  to  tyranny,  and  thirsts  for  the 
enjoyment  of  power.  Now,  to  such  a  being,  it  must  be 


380  DOMESTIC  EDUCATION. 

of  immense  importance,  in  the  dawn  of  reason,  that  he 
should  have  explained  to  him,  the  limits  of  that  dominion, 
which  he  is  permitted  to  hold  over  the  animal  creation. 
And  who  is  to  do  this,  if  you  do  not?  You  have  already 
explained  to  your  Child  the  rights  of  God  ?  Explain  to 
him  also,  as  the  Scriptures  have  so  minutely  and  beauti- 
fully done,  the  rights  of  inferior  animals ;  for  be  assured, 
that,  however  some  may  have  overlooked  the  fact,  it  is 
within  these  two  limits  that  you  will  find,  as  accurately 
delineated,  the  rights  of  man.  Should  he  trample  upon 
either  of  these  rights,  or  overstep  the  limits  here  assigned 
him,  he  is  not  only  out  of  his  appropriate  sphere  in  the 
government  of  God,  but,  for  his  presumption  in  so  doing, 
he  must  suffer  correspondingly. 

On  this  subject,  therefore,  I  cannot  help  again  advert- 
ing to  the  Sacred  Scriptures  themselves,  in  proof  of  their 
singular  adaptation  for  infusing  humanity  ;  if  Parents  will 
only  use  them  for  this  important  purpose : 

"  If  a  bird's  nest  chance  to  be  before  thee,  in  the  way,  in  any 
tree,  or  on  the  ground,  whether  they  be  young  ones,  or  eggs,  and 
the  dam  sitting  upon  the  young,  or  upon  the  eggs,  thou  shalt  not 
take  the  dam  with  the  young  :  but  thou  shalt  in  anywise  let  the 
dam  go,  and  take  the  young  to  thee ;  that  it  may  be  well  with  thee, 
and  that  thou  mayest  prolong  thy  days." — Deut.  xxii.  G,  7. 

From  such  expressions  you  can  direct  your  Children  to 
a  twofold  exercise  of  humanity  here  enjoined  by  God — the 
sparing  of  animal  life,  when  actually  in  their  possession, 
and  special  compassion  for  the  mother-bird.  You  can 
also  explain,  that,  so  far  from  such  a  passage  giving  any 
countenance  to  the  barbarous  practice  of  taking  the  eggs, 
or  the  young  of  birds,  for  purposes  of  sport  or  mere  grati- 
fication, it  is  in  effect  saying,  that  they  can  only  be  taken 
for  a  lawful  or  necessary  purpose ;  and  even  intimates, 
that  if  they  are  thus  resolved  to  take  the  eggs,  or  the  young, 
still  in  anywise  they  must  let  the  dam  go  free.  Remind 


DOMESTIC  EDUCATION.  381 

them,  that  the  young  had  never  yet  known  the  sweets 
of  liberty ;  but  the  mother-bird  had  ;  and  that  though, 
for  any  lawful  purpose,  they  might  be  taken  and  used, 
she  must,  on  no  account  whatever,  be  brought  into  a  state 
of  captivity.  The  value  or  the  beauty  of  the  bird  was 
nothing;  such  Children  were  to  be  told,  that,  however 
trifling  the  crime  might  seem,  and  whatever  arguments 
they  might  accumulate  for  detaining  the  captive,  they 
could  not  reasonably  expect  to  be  the  objects  of  God's 
peculiar  care  and  attention  afterwards,  and  that,  another 
day,  it  might  go  ill  with  themselves. 

I  cannot,  however,  omit  remarking,  that  a  hint  is  here 
given,  not  only  that  it  is  the  appropriate  duty  of  a  Parent 
to  teach,  but  that  childhood  is  the  proper  period  for 
infusing  humanity;  for  "it  must  not  be  denied,  that 
the  propensity  to  go  in  search  of  the  nests  of  birds,  is 
very  natural  to  Children,  and  the  temptation  to  rob  them 
very  strong.  I  am  convinced,  however,  that,  by  proper 
management,  they  might  be  brought  to  take  more  pleasure 
in  knowing  of  a  number  of  nests,  and  in  observing  the 
progress,  from  their  first  foundation  to  the  flight  of  their 
inhabitants,  than  in  getting  into  their  possession  either  the 
eggs  or  the  young  ones.  I  have  known  an  instance  of  a 
family  of  Children  standing  single  in  this  respect  among 
a  whole  village,  owing  to  the  fortunate  circumstance  of 
their  Father  being  a  man  of  more  humanity  than  his 
neighbors.  He  did  not  attempt  to  restrain  his  Children 
from  going  to  search  after  nests,  but  he  took  frequent  oc- 
casion to  inculcate  such  lessons  of  humanity  as  effectually 
prevented  the  barbarous  custom  of  robbing  them.  Let 
other  Fathers  follow  his  example ;  and  let  Mothers  repre- 
sent to  their  Children  the  cruelty  of  '  robbing  a  poor  bird 
of  her  young ; '  for  Mothers  alone  can  feel  what  it  is  for  a 
Mother  to  be  deprived  of  her  offspring."* 

*  Young  on  Humanity  to  Animals. 


382  DOMESTIC  EDUCATION. 

"  Thou  shalt  not  muzzle  the  mouth  of  the  ox  when  he  treadeth 
out  the  corn." — Deut.  xx.  4. 

From  this  passage  you  can  easily  explain,  that  the 
animals  employed  in  the  purposes  of  husbandry,  are  to 
enjoy  a  reasonable  proportion  of  all  those  blessings,  which 
their  patient  and  powerful  service  contributes  to  procure, 
for  the  otherwise  helpless  and  dependent  creature,  man; 
and  that  it  was  also  most  probably  meant  as  an  express 
prohibition  of  certain  cruelties,  whether  practised  among 
the  surrounding  nations,  or  even  the  Jews  themselves. 
You  can  inform  your  Children,  "that,  among  the  He- 
brews, the  ox  was  employed  in  ploughing  the  ground  ; 
that  treading  out  the  corn  was  an  employment  in  which 
his  appetite  would  be  strongly  excited ;  and  that  the 
restraining  him,  even  by  the  least  cruel  methods,  from 
gratifying  this  appetite,  in  some  degree,  must  have  given 
him  no  common  degree  of  uneasiness."  Remind  them, 
that  the  treading  out  of  corn  was  a  season  of  great  enjoy- 
ment to  man  himself;  that  "  the  joy  of  harvest  "  is  a  pro- 
verbial expression  in  Scripture ;  and  then  you  may  appeal 
to  themselves,  and  ask,  Whether  they  think  it  probable, 
that  the  man  who,  at  such  a  time,  would  not  obey  this 
humane  and  reasonable  injunction,  was  likely,  upon  any 
other  occasion,  to  feel  his  heart  expand  with  genuine 
gratitude,  or  generosity,  or  laudable  joy? 

In  a  country  like  ours,  in  which  agriculture,  and 
manufactures,  and  commerce,  have  been  carried  to  such 
extent ;  where  the  horse,  almost  alone,  ploughs,  and 
draws,  and  carries  every  thing,  man  included ;  the  viola- 
tions of  humanity  must  be  most  frequent  with  regard  to 
this  noble  and  valuable  animal.  Though  the  most  spirit- 
ed, yet  the  most  tractable  and  docile  of  quadrupeds; 
possessing  more  than  the  courage,  without  any  of  the 
ferocity  of  the  lion ;  though  contributing  most  to  the 
profit  and  pleasure  of  his  owner;  though,  if  deprived  of 


DOxMESTIC  EDUCATION.  383 

his  services  alone,  Great  Britain  would  still  have  made 
but  a  poor  appearance,  and  never  would  have  been  what 
she  has  become ;  it  is  a  melancholy  reflection  on  the 
national  character,  that,  of  all  animals,  he  has  been  most 
abused.  Although  I  cannot  quote  any  express  passage  of 
Sacred  Writ,  urging  the  duty  of  humanity  to  him,  you 
can  very  easily  explain  to  your  Children  some  of  the  sin- 
gular and  satisfactory  reasons  for  this  omission,  at  least 
in  the  Mosaic  code.  That  their  use  was  forbidden  to 
the  Jewish  people,  lest  such  commerce  with  Egypt  (which 
was  the  native  country  of  the  best  breeds,  long  before 
Arabia  possessed  any),  should  lead  to  idolatry;  lest  that 
people  might  depend  on  a  well-appointed  cavalry,  instead 
of  the  promised  aid  and  peculiar  protection  of  Jehovah ; 
or  lest  they  should  be  tempted  to  extend  their  dominion 
beyond  the  boundaries  of  the  promised  land,  and  so  either 
obscure  or  defeat  the  prophecies  relative  to  the  Messiah. 
It  will  be  seen,  however,  from  what  follows,  that  you  can 
plead  the  cause  of  humanity  to  this  animal,  even  from 
Scripture,  and  upon  the  highest  grounds. 

In  many,  if  not  in  most  of  the  Eastern  countries,  there 
is  another  animal,  which  stands  in  the  same  relation  to 
them,  as  the  horse  now  does  to  the  nations  of  Europe. 
Though  degenerated  in  this  country  to  but  a  humble  kins- 
man of  the  horse,  whose  principal  inheritance  is  stripes 
and  blows,  while  many  young  people  especially,  indulge 
in  mocking  the  misery  which  themselves  occasion ;  you 
may  point  out  to  your  Children,  in  what  a  striking  manner 
the  Scriptures  can  redeem  the  subject  of  any  such  treat- 
ment, from  idle  ridicule  or  undue  severity.  It  is  indeed 
rather  remarkable,  that,  in  the  only  instance  in  which 
the  Creator  ever  endowed  an  animal  with  the  faculty  of 
speech,  it  was  to  plead  the  cause  of  suffering  humanity 
with  the  obdurate  heart  of  man ;  and  then,  too,  it  was 
by  an  animal  of  this  humble  description.  If,  therefore, 


384  DOMESTIC  EDUCATION. 

eloquence  and  pathos  are  alike  required,  to  expose  the 
hatefulness  of  cruelty,  let  the  unprejudiced  ear  listen  to 
the  following  expostulation : 

"  What  have  I  done  unto  thee,  that  thou  hast  smitten  me  these 
three  times  ?  Am  I  not  thine  ass,  upon  which  thou  hast  ridden, 
ever  since  I  was  thine,  unto  this  day  ?  Was  I  ever  wont  to  do  so 
unto  thee  ? " 

The  ferocity  of  conduct,  far  less  justifiable  than  that  of 
Balaam,  which  is  daily  occurring  in  this  country,  cannot 
then  pass  unobserved  ;  while  in  ninety-nine  instances  out 
of  an  hundred,  the  animal  is  beat,  for  having  not  only 
done  nothing  wrong,  but,  it  may  be,  obliged,  if  not  saved, 
his  owner.  In  the  great  majority  of  cases,  when  the 
animal  discovers  any  restiveness,  you  can  explain  to  your 
Children,  that  it  generally  ought  to  be  regarded  by  the 
rider,  rather  as  a  hint  for  observation  on  his  part.  So 
the  humane  and  considerate  rider  regards  it,  and  has 
often  indeed  felt  much  indebted  to  the  animal's  sagacity. 
Thus,  in  the  present  remarkable  case,  the  animal  was 
beat,  as  the  angel  of  God  sternly  noticed,  not  less  than 
three  times,  though  in  the  very  act  of  saving  the  rider's 
life !  "Unless  "  said  he,  "  unless  she  had  turned  from  me, 
sorely  now  also  I  had  slain  thee,  and  saved  her  alive."* 

*  I  have  already  noticed,  that  this  animal,  in  Eastern  countries, 
is  of  a  far  superior  breed  ;  and  though  it  was  declared,  by  the  Mo- 
saic code,  to  be  unclean,  and  no  one  was  permitted  to  taste  of  its 
flesh,  yet  was  it  the  animal  employed  both  by  the  regal  and  judicial 
authorities.  Hence  the  magistrate  and  judge  are  spoken  of  as  those 
who  "  rode  on  white  asses,"  Judges  v.  10.  In  those  countries, 
though,  when  domesticated,  he  becomes  gentle,  and  assumes  a 
patience  and  submission  more  humble  than  his  situation,  in  his 
natural  state,  or  when  unbroken,  he  is  not  only  fleet  and  fierce,  but 
formidable  and  untractable.  It  is,  therefore,  not  unworthy  of  being 
pointed  out  to  your  Children,  that  it  was  such  an  animal,  and  in 
this  unbroken  state,  that  the  Saviour,  upon  one  remarkable  occasion, 
deigned  to  use.  He  actually  sent  for  it,  and  in  so  doing,  desired 
that  his  disciples  should  remark,  that  this  was  a  colt  "  whereon 


DOMESTIC  EDUCATION.  385 

On  this  subject,  I  notice  only  another  passage  of  Scrip- 
ture, which,  however,  I  am  the  more  disposed  to  do,  from 
its  being  one  of  those,  which  I  well  remember  my  own 
Father  quoting,  again  and  again,  with  peculiar  emphasis, 
to  myself  when  young  ;  dwelling  occasionally  on  the  four 
last  words : 

"Then  said  Jehovah  (to  Jonah),  Thou  hast  had  pity  on  the 
gourd,  for  the  which  thou  hast  not  labored,  neither  madest  it  grow; 
which  came  up  in  a  night,  and  perished  in  a  night :  and  should  not 
I  spare  Nineveh,  that  great  city,  wherein  are  more  than  six  score 
thousand  persons  that  cannot  discern  between  their  right  hand  and 
their  left  hand  ;  and  also  much  cattle  ?•" 

Here  was  a  man,  who  had  been  sent  by  the  Lord  God 
of  the  Hebrews,  as  a  kind  of  ambassador-extraordinary  to 
the  then  metropolis  of  the  world,  and  whose  message  had 
produced  an  amazing  effect.  His  conduct  from  the  be- 
ginning, and  his  spirit  in  fretting  himself  as  it  were  to 

yet  never  man  sat."  In  all  this  there  was  something  more  than 
strict  conformity  to  the  law,  and  even  to  prophecy,  Zech.  ix.  9. 
The  meekness  and  humility  of  the  King  of  Zion  were  on  that  day 
no  doubt  conspicuous;  but  in  riding  into  Jerusalem,  amidst  the  ac- 
clamations of  a  multitude,  and  the  branches  of  palm-trees,  which 
were  more  than  sufficient  to  render  unruly  even  an  animal  accus- 
tomed to  be  used ;  see  this  unbroken  creature,  all  the  while,  quiet, 
and  tractable,  and  steady !  If  men  will  not  allow  the  Divine  Power 
to  have  been  here  exerted,  they  will  surely  confess,  that  precisely 
the  same  thing  had  never  happened  before,  and  that  it  has  never 
since.  Often,  indeed,  does  the  Author  of  Nature  send  us  to  the 
beasts  of  the  field  for  instruction,  Ps.  xxxii.  8,  9.  But  what  an  im- 
plication was  there  in  all  this,  to  that  untoward  generation,  whom 
neither  judgment  nor  mercy  could  move  to  submission !  The  Mes- 
siah, however,  it  seems,  would  not  leave  his  meaning  only  to  be  in- 
ferred ;  for  it  is  perhaps  not  in  general  observed,  it  was  when  thus 
seated,  upon  this  very  animal,  now  so  docile,  that  upon  his  coming 
near,  and  beholding  the  city,  he  wept  over  it,  saying — "  If  thou 
hadst  known,  even  thou,  at  least  in  this  thy  day,  the  things  which 
belong  to  thy  peace,  but  now  they  are  hid  from  thine  eyes  !  "  Such 
were  the  melancholy  effects  of  voluntary  ignorance  and  obstinate 
perverseness. 

33 


386  DOMESTIC  EDUCATION. 

death,  does  indeed  appear  most  unreasonable,  and  even 
inhuman.  But  all  along  it  should  seem  the  Almighty  had 
a  design  to  accomplish  upon  him,  as  well  as  on  the  Nine- 
vites ;  and  with  both  he  succeeded :  while  his  patience 
with  the  instrument,  and  compassion  for  those  to  whom 
he  was  sent,  are  alike  divine.  Now,  here  humanity  to 
the  human  species  and  the  animal  creation  is  pled,  at  the 
same  moment,  by  Him  who  "preserveth  man  and  beast;" 
and  pled  so  triumphantly,  that  it  seems  as  if  Jonah, 
deeply  criminal  though  he  had  been,  was  confounded, 
and  silenced,  and  humbled.  He  answered  not  a  word ; 
and,  with  these  expressions  in  his  ear,  was  probably  pre- 
pared to  serve  Jehovah  in  a  very  different  spirit  through- 
out his  whole  life. 

If  I  have  dwelt  too  long  on  this  disposition  of  humanity, 
let  the  cruelties  so  notoriously  sanctioned,  even  in  Britain, 
be  my  apology.  To  humanize  man  after  he  has  grown 
up — to  change  the  lion  into  a  lamb,  is  the  prerogative 
of  God ;  but  to  train  up  a  Child  in  the  way  in  which  he 
should  go,  is  the  injunction  of  the  same  God,  who  will 
never  withhold  his  blessing  upon  his  own  express  precept. 
Let  us  then  apply  to  the  instituted  fountain,  from  whence 
humanity  alone  can  flow;  and  with  regard  to  the  whole 
of  the  inferior  creation,  let  Parents  especially  bear  in 
mind,  that 

"  The  sum  is  this — If  man's  convenience,  health, 
Or  safety,  interfere,  his  rights  and  claims 
Are  paramount,  and  must  extinguish  theirs, 
Else,  they  are  all — the  meanest  things  that  are 
As  free  to  live,  and  to  enjoy  that  life, 
As  God  was  free  to  form  them  at  the  first, 
Who,  in  his  sovereign  wisdom,  made  them  all. 
Ye,  therefore,  who  love  mercy,  teach  your  sons 
To  love  it  too.     The  spring-time  of  our  years 
Is  soon  dishonor'd,  and  defiled  in  most 
By  budding  ills,  that  ask  a  prudent  hand 
To  check  them.     But,  alas  !  none  sooner  shoots, 
If  unrestrain'd,  into  luxuriant  growth 


DOMESTIC  EDUCATION.  387 

Than  cruelty,  most  devilish  of  them  all. 

Mercy  to  him  that  shows  it,  is  the  rule 

And  righteous  limitation  of  its  act, 

By  which  Heaven  moves  in  pardoning  guilty  man  ; 

And  he  that  shows  none,  being  ripe  in  years, 

And  conscious  of  the  outrage  he  commits, 

Shall  seek  it,  and  not  find  it,  in  his  turn." 

Generosity. — In  the  study  of  the  Jewish  economy,  you 
will  find  many  things  powerfully  calculated  to  enforce  this 
disposition.  The  original  division  of  the  land  among  the 
several  tribes,  being  according  to  their  families,  each  tribe 
was  settled  in  the  same  district,  and  each  family  in  the 
same  barony  or  hundred.  Thus?  domestic  virtue  and 
affection  had  an  extensive  sphere  of  action.  Not  only 
was  provision  thus  made  for  the  happiness  of  moral  and 
rural  life,  but  the  poor  might  everywhere  expect  more 
ready  assistance,  since  they  implored  it  from  men  whose 
sympathy  in  their  sufferings  would  be  quickened  by 
hereditary  friendship,  if  not  by  natural  connection.  Be- 
sides the  tithe  every  third  year  for  the  poor ;  and  the 
seventh  year,  when  the  indigent,  the  widow,  and  the 
stranger,  were  free  to  use  whatever  the  ground  brought 
forth  of  itself;  to  them  annually  belonged  a  share  of  the 
olive  and  the  vine;  nor  was  there  a  corner  of  a  single 
field,  over  the  whole  land,  which  was  not  to  be  left  for 
them.  Yes,  left  for  them ;  for  though  thus  permitted  to 
enter,  in  their  season,  into  private  property,  they  were  not 
to  be  idle,  but  to  gather  and  collect  their  sustenance. 
Nor  was  even  this  all — 

"  When  thou  cuttest  down  thine,  harvest  in  thy  field,  and  hast 
forgot  a  sheaf  in  the  field,  thou  shalt  not  go  again  to  fetch  it :  it 
shall  be  for  the  stranger,  for  the  fatherless,  and  for  the  widow ;  that 
the  Lord  thy  God  may  bless  thee  in  all  the  work  of  thine  hands. 
When  thou  beatest  thine  olive  tree  thou  shalt  not  go  over  the 
boughs  again :  it  shall  be  for  the  stranger,  for  the  fatherless,  and 
for  the  widow.  When  thou  gatherest  the  grapes  of  thy  vineyard, 
thou  shalt  not  glean  it  afterward :  it  shall  be  for  the  stranger,  for 
the  fatherless,  and  for  the  widow." 


388  DOMESTIC  EDUCATION. 

Now,  high  as  this  ground  may  seem,  teach  your  Chil- 
dren, in  regard  to  the  incumbent  and  delightful  disposition 
of  generosity,  that  we,  as  Christians,  stand  upon  higher 
still.  Point  them  to  the  "Father  of  Mercies"  above, 
"  from  whom  cometh  down  every  good  and  every  perfect 
gift."  In  our  world,  he  has  much  to  do,  every  hour  of 
the  day,  and  every  season  of  the  year.  On  the  produce  of 
that  year  depends  the  existence  of  the  world ;  but  teach 
them  to  observe,  that  it  consists,  uniformly,  of  two  parts — 
not  only  bread  to  the  eater,  but  seed  to  the  sower.  Inform 
them,  that  the  property  of  the  Christian,  if  not  of  man, 
consists  also  of  two  such  parts ;  that  though  the  poor  call 
one  of  these  their  savings,  and  the  rich,  their  fortune, 
that  both  parties  often  labor  under  a  great  mistake.  Ask 
them,  What  would  become  of  the  husbandman,  were 
he  to  act  by  his  seed-corn  as  the  poor  often  act  by  their 
"savings,"  and  the  rich  by  their  "fortune?"  and  ask 
them,  What  can  become  of  the  professing  Christian 
who  disregards  that  law  of  Heaven — "  He  which  soweth 
sparingly,  shall  reap  also  sparingly ;  and  he  which  soweth 
bountifully,  shall  reap  also  bountifully?"  Can  such  a 
man,  say  you,  lawfully  expect  that  "  He  who  ministereth 
seed  to  the  sower,  will  both  minister  bread  for  his  food, 
and  multiply  his  seed  sown,  and  increase  the  fruits  of  his 
righteousness  ? "  Certainly  not ;  he  never  did,  and  he 
never  will.  Tell  them,  that  this  man  even  reaps  sparingly, 
and  that,  even  in  this  life :  tell  them,  that  if  God  does  not 
keep  him  poor,  which  he  often  does,  he  may  not  grant 
him  contentment ;  or  that  the  evidences  of  his  Christianity 
must  remain,  to  his  own  mind,  confused  or  dubious,  and 
that  the  consolations  of  God  are  small  with  him  ! 

Early,  therefore,  train  your  Children  to  the  habit  of 
giving  a.\va.y,  freely.  Mutual  presents  may  be  of  service; 
but  distinguish,  as  soon  as  may  be,  between  the  giving  of 
that  which  costs  nothing,  and  true  generosity,  which  in-. 


DOMESTIC  EDUCATION.  389 

volves  self-denial.  Inform  them,  plentifully,  of  truly 
bountiful  men,  and  repeat,  again  and  again,  generous 
deeds.  Admire,  in  their  hearing,  Araunah  the  Jebusite ; 
and  David,  the  king  of  Israel ;  and  Neherniah,  the  cup- 
bearer ;  and  the  poor  widow  that  cast  in  all  that  she  had, 
even  all  her  living !  but,  oh !  above  and  beyond  all,  Him 
who,  "  although  he  was  rich,  for  our  sakes  became  poor, 
that  we  through  his  poverty  might  be  rich." 

Accustom  your  Children,  from  early  life,  to  observe, 
that  "  this  is  the  way  to  thrive,"  whatever  the  selfish  and 
the  covetous  may  say ;  and  that,  if  Christians,  and  if 
(disgusted  with  the  cheap  and  ostentatious  giving  which 
is  still  consistent  with  covetousness),  they  should  only  act 
on  these  scriptural  principles,  aiming  after  secrecy  and 
delicacy  in  all  that  they  do ;  then  may  they  have  even 
engraven  on  their  tomb-stone,  what  was  once  placed  over 
the  grave  of  a  good  man,  properly  so  called — 

"  What  1  spent,  I  have  lost : 
What  I  once  possessed,  now  belongs  to  another ; 
What  I  gave  away,  remains  with  me." 

In  regard  to  Christian  generosity,  however,  a  disposition 
which  is  yet  far  from  being  fully  exemplified,  never  forget, 
that,  as  to  your  family,  every  thing  will  depend  upon  you, 
yourselves,  acting  on  these  principles.  Then  only  will 
your  Children  experimentally  understand,  and  admire, 
that  saying  of  our  blessed  Lord,  which,  though  not  re- 
corded by  any  of  the  evangelists,  had  sunk  down  into  the 
ear,  or  rather  lay  embalmed  in  the  heart  of  the  primitive 
Christians — "  It  is  more  blessed  to  give  than  to  receive." 

The  Love  of  Nature. — It  is  certainly  not  a  little  ex- 
traordinary, that  so  many  Parents  have  overlooked,  or  at 
least  neglected,  this  most  powerful  assistant,  in   training 
the  dispositions  of  their  Children.     In  building  cities,  had 
33* 


390  DOMESTIC  EDUCATION. 

men  succeeded  also  in  banishing  from  them  the  admiration 
of  nature,  or  had  only  certain  individuals  of  the  species 
been  susceptible  of  interest  in  her  wonderful  productions, 
this  neglect  might  have  been  regarded  only  as  a  conse- 
quence ;  but  the  reverse  of  all  this  is  the  fact : 

"  'Tis  born  with  all ;  the  love  of  Nature's  works 
Is  an  ingredient  in  the  compound  man, 
Infused  at  the  creation  of  the  kind. 
And  though  the  Almighty  Maker  has  throughout 
Discriminated  each  from  each,  by  strokes 
And  touches  of  his  hand,  with  so  much  art 
Diversified,  that  two  were  never  found 
Twins  in  all  points ;  yet  this  obtains  in  all, 
That  all  discern  a  beauty  in  his  works, 
And  all  can  taste  them :  minds  that  have  been  form'd 
And  tutor'd,  with  relish  more  exact, 
But  none  without  some  relish,  none  unmoved. 
It  is  a  flame,  that  dies  not  even  there 
Where  nothing  feeds  it:  neither  business,  crowds, 
Nor  habits  of  luxurious  city  life, 
Whatever  else  they  smother  of  true  worth 
In  human  bosoms,  quench  it  or  abate." 

Children  are  fond  of  tracing  effects  to  their  cause;  and 
should  they  wish  you  to  account  for  this  innate  disposition 
in  the  compound  man,  that  much-neglected  book,  the 
Bible,  will  assist  you  in  this,  as  in  all  other  things,  with 
reference  to  whatever  is  either  useful,  or  valuable,  or 
necessary,  in  the  analysis  of  the  mind,  so  far  as  the  bulk 
of  mankind  is  concerned  :  for 

"  The  Lord  God  planted  a  garden  eastward  in  Eden ;  and  there 
he  put  the  man  whom  he  had  formed.  And  out  of  the  ground 
made  the  Lord  to  grow  every  tree  that  is  pleasant  to  the  sight  and 
good  for  food ;  the  tree  of  life  also  in  the  midst  of  the  garden,  and 
the  tree  of  knowledge  of  good  and  evil. — And  the  Lord  God  took 
the  man,  and  put  him  into  the  garden  of  Eden,  to  dress  it  and  to 
keep  it.  And  out  of  the  ground  the  Lord  God  formed  every  beast 
of  the  field,  and  every  foul  of  the  air,  and  brought  them  unto  Adam, 
to  see  what  he,  would  call  them  ;  and  whatsoever  Adam  called  every 


DOMESTIC  EDUCATION.  391 

living  creature,  that  was  the  name  thereof.  And  Adam  gave  names 
to  all  cattle,  and  to  the  fowl  of  the  air,  and  to  every  beast  of  the 
field  !  " 

Were  I  not  afraid  of  extending  this  volume  too  far, 
already  perhaps  too  large,  I  should  have  dwelt  upon  this 
important  branch  of  Education.  Remember,  however,  it 
is  at  once  your  business  and  your  office,  to  excite  and 
cultivate  this  disposition  in  your  Children.  The  con- 
templation of  the  heavenly  bodies — the  structure  of  the 
globe — the  vegetation  of  plants — the  formation  of  animals 
— the  order  and  regularity  of  nature,  with  the  changes 
that  are  perpetually  taking  place  in  it — the  correspondency, 
the  sympathy,  the  harmony,  and  the  remarkable  propor- 
tioning of  one  thing  to  another,  which  reigns  throughout 
the  universe — the  power  and  the  greatness  of  God,  as  seen 
in  the  minutest  objects;  with  the  striking  difference  be- 
tween the  works  of  nature  and  of  art, — the  contemplation 
of  any  of  these,  and  especially  of  these  in  succession,  has 
a  most  powerful  effect  upon  the  youthful  disposition.  You 
believe  that  God  hath  made  every  thing  beautiful  in  its 
season  and  place  ;  and  you  know  that  every  animal,  and 
vegetable,  and  mineral,  has  its  own  specific  and  appro- 
priate use  1  Explain  these,  then,  as  far  as  you  can. 
Such  instruction  from  the  lips  of  a  Father  or  a  Mother  is 
invaluable.  Perhaps  you  can  direct  their  attention  to  the 
forecast  and  industry  of  the  ant — the  ingenious  and  inde- 
fatigable labors  of  the  bee — the  instinct  and  affection  of 
birds,  in  building  their  nests,  and  rearing  their  young — to 
the  habitations  of  the  beaver — the  transformation  of  the 
caterpillar,  or  the  silkworm? — But  I  forbear;  the  theme 
is  endless,  and  even  infinite.  Many  of  these  subjects,  if 
nature  is  not  before  you,  you  can  find  in  books ;  but  the 
more  familiar  operations  of  nature  you  cannot  omit — 
such,  for  example,  as  the  labors  of  the  husbandman. 


392  DOMESTIC  EDUCATION. 

Thus,  even  by  your  occasional  conversation,  might  you 
discover  to  your  Children,  that 

"  Religion  does  not  censure  or  exclude 
Unnumber'd  pleasures  harmlessly  pursued ; 
To  study  culture,  and  with  artful  toil 
To  meliorate  and  tame  the  stubborn  soil ; 
To  give  dissimilar,  yet  fruitful  lands, 
The  grain,  or  herb,  or  plant,  that  each  demands — 
These,  these  are  arts  pursued  without  a  crime, 
That  leave  no  stain  upon  the  wing  of  Time." 

Do  you  ever  walk  with  your  Children,  and  observe  them 
disposed  to  notice  the  earth,  when  it  teems  with  fragrance, 
and  is  covered  with  beauty?  Indulge  them  in  such 
remarks ;  admire,  with  them,  the  works  and  wonders  of 
your  common  Creator;  and  having  so  indulged  them,  you 
can  easily  discover  to  them  that  you  derive  your  main 
enjoyment,  from  a  filial  confidence  in  Him  who  made 
them  all. 

Certainly  it  is  to  be  lamented,  that  so  many  Christian 
Parents,  seem  not  to  be  aware  of  the  frequency,  with 
which  their  own  Redeemer  conversed  with  the  works  of 
his  hands,  while  here  below  ;  though  if  they  only  take  up 
their  Bible,  and  "walk  with  Him"  through  the  evangel- 
ical history,  they  will  find  scarcely  one  chapter,  in  which 
Nature  is  not  pointedly  regarded.  The  shining  of  the 
sun,  and  the  falling  of  rain ;  the  light  of  the  world,  and 
the  face  of  the  sky  ;  the  aspect  of  the  morning  and  the 
evening;  the  lilies  of  the  field,  and  the  birds  of  the  air; 
the  grass  of  the  ground,  and  the  salt  of  the  earth ;  the 
dove  and  the  sparrow ;  the  sheep  and  the  goat ;  the  fox 
and  the  wolf;  the  ass  and  the  camel ;  the  serpent  and  the 
fish  ;  the  crowing  of  the  cock ;  the  hen  and  her  chickens ; 
the  eagle  pouncing  on  his  prey  :  in  short,  nothing  escaped 
his  gracious  and  condescending  eye.  The  artlessness  of 
Children,  and  the  harmlessness  of  doves,  he  recommended 


DOMESTIC  EDUCATION.  393 

to  his  followers ;  and  when  he  saw  a  multitude  of  sinful 
men,  he  was  wont  to  be  moved  with  compassion,  and 
compared  them  to  "sheep  without  a  shepherd."  The 
operations  of  husbandry,  he  was  ever  commending  to 
notice  ;  and,  to  his  eye,  a  lily  in  its  native  bed  had  more 
of  outward  adorning,  than  even  Solomon,  when  arrayed 
in  all  the  insignia  of  his  kingdom.  Adam,  in  perfection 
and  innocence,  when  naming  his  animals,  as  their  Creator 
brought  them  to  his  feet,  or  when  conversing  with  his 
garden,  was  as  nothing  to  this.  Strange  indeed !  that 
those  who  listened  to  the  Saviour's  manner  of  reference 
to  such  objects,  at  all  times  so  apposite,  and  often  so 
affecting,  could  not  descry  the  voice  of  Him,  by  whom  all 
things  were  created,  "  whether  they  be  things  in  heaven, 
or  things  on  earth,  or  things  under  the  earth."  Nature, 
then,  it  is  true,  had  met  with  her  own  Creator,  and  never, 
since  the  morning  stars  sang  together,  had  she  appeared 
so  subservient  to  religious  instruction  and  reproof,  excite- 
ment and  delight. 

Now  you  have  not  been  born  too  late  to  profit  by  all 
this.  If  Christian  Parents,  you  live  under  the  dominion 
of  the  Messiah,  and  possess  every  advantage  in  following 
his  example,  at  whatever  distance.  The  productions  of 
his  hand  are  ever  the  same,  and,  to  the  present  moment, 

"  Still  all  are  under  one.     One  Spirit — His, 
Who  wore  the  platted  thorns  with  bleeding  brows, 
Rules  universal  nature.     Not  a  flower 
But  shows  some  touch,  in  freckle,  streak,  or  stain, 
Of  his  unrivall'd  pencil.     He  inspires 
Their  balmy  odors,  and  imparts  their  hues, 
And  bathes  their  "eyes  with  nectar,  and  includes, 
In  grains  as  countless  as  the  sea-side  sands, 
The  forms  with  which  he  sprinkles  all  the  earth. 
Happy  who  walks  with  Him  !  whom  what  he  finds 
Of  flavor,  or  of  scent,  in  fruit  or  flower, 
Oj?  what  he  views  of  beautiful  or  grand 
Jn  nature,  from  the  broad  majestic  oak 


394  DOMESTIC  EDUCATION. 

To  the  green  blade  that  twinkles  in  the  sun, 
Prompts  with  remembrance  of  a  present  God. 
His  presence,  who  made  all  so  fair,  perceived, 
Makes  all  still  fairer.     As  with  him  no  scene 
Is  dreary,  so  with  him  all  seasons  please."  * 


Were  it  at  all  necessary,  I  ought  to  have  extended  this 
section  to  various  other  subjects  :  such,  for  example,  as 
those  of  Patience  and  Submission — Temper  and  Fortitude 
— the  baneful  Evils  arising  from  Vanity  and  Affectation — 
the  Companions  with  whom  your  Children  come  in  con- 
tact— and  the  imperious  necessity  of  you,  as  Parents, 
making  careful  selection ;  for  if  Christians  themselves  are 
in  imminent  danger  from  "  evil  communications  which 
corrupt  even  good  manners,"  what  shall  we  say  of  Chil- 
dren whose  principles  are  not  yet  fixed — whose  manners 
are  not  yet  formed  ? 

Not,  however,  wishing  to  extend  the  subject  farther 
than  what  seemed  necessary  for  the  object  in  view,  I 
would  rather  refer  to  such  works  as  the  Practical  View  of 
Education,  by  Mr.  Babington — the  anonymous  author  of 
"  Hints  for  the  Improvement  of  Early  Education  and 
Nursery  Discipline  " — the  Parental  Duties,  by  Mr.  Braid- 
wood — Domestic  Religion,  by  Mr.  Innes — and  the  various 
publications  by  the  amiable  family  of  the  '  Taylors ' — a 
family  which  has,  as  a  Family,  done  more  for  Domestic 
Education,  in  the  proper  sense  of  the  terms,  than  perhaps 
any  other  in  Great  Britain. 

In  conclusion,  may  I  now  presume  that  the  reader  is 
fully  convinced,  that  a  Parent  stands  on  ground  peculiar 

*  These  poetical  quotations,  I  hope  the  reader  well  knows,  are 
taken  from  Cowper, — one  of  those  few  poets  whose  writings  will 
probably  be  quoted,  even  in  the  days  when  "  one  song  shall  em- 
ploy all  nations,"  and  the  knowledge  of  the  Lord  thall  have  cover- 
ed the  earth,  as  the  waters  do  the  sea. 


DOMESTIC  EDUCATION.  395 

to  himself — far  above  that  of  any  mere  teacher,  and  that 
his  responsibility,  both  to  God  and  to  his  Family,  extends 
correspondingly  ? — He  is  to  teach,  it  is  true,  but  he  is  also 
to  repeat,  repeat,  repeat  with  patience,  and  even  pleasure. 
Here  a  little,  there  a  little;  as  he  rises  up,  as  he  lies 
down ;  as  he  sits  in  the  house,  or  walks  by  the  way :  he 
.or  she  it  is  who  is  to  recall — explain — rectify — illustrate — 
enforce  many  things  many  times,  or  many  times  the  same 
thing  :  he  it  is  who  is  appointed  to  be  the  prompter  of  his 
Children — the  instigator  to  good  only :  he  it  is,  as  has 
been  said,  who  looks  not  to  the  infantile  mind,  as  to  an 
empty  vessel,  into  which  knowledge  only  is  to  be  poured. 
The  mind  of  his  Child  he  would  rather  compare,  in  one 
sense,  to  the  Bee  in  the  first  period  of  its  existence,  which 
is  fed  by  the  labors  of  others ;  but,  ere  long,  as  he  expects, 
this  little  mind  will  rise,  and  lift  its  wings  in  vigorous 
employment,  to  collect  sweets  from  every  field  or  flower. 


SECTION  EIGHTH, 

CONCLUDING    ADDRESS. 

To  Christian  Parents — extent  of  that  authority  which  has  been  con- 
ferred by  God — the  power  of  affirmation  or  testimony  lodged  in 
the  Parent's  hands  alone — the  signal  blessing,  promised  from 
above,  upon  their  exertions. — To  the  Ministers  of  Christ — power- 
ful aid  afforded  to  them  by  the  Domestic  Constitution,  without 
either  invading  the  peculiarity  of  their  office,  or  relieving  them 
from  the  assiduous  discharge  of  any  of  its  duties — the  interesting 
aspect  of  the  primitive  Church  in  relation  to  Families — the  beauty 
and  value  of  Christianity  when  possessed  by  Children — those 
Families  where  the  Domestic  Constitution  ought  to  be  seen,  in 
all  its  beauty  and  its  moral  power. 

TO  CHRISTIAN  PARENTS. 

THE  character  with  which,  as  Parents,  you  have  been 
invested,  were  it  duly  considered,  is,  of  itself,  sufficient  to 
induce  frequent  reflection  on  that  constitution  of  things, 
at  the  head  of  which  you  stand.  You  may  not,  however, 
have  observed  before,  that  in  the  very  constitution  of  a 
Family,  there  is  involved  so  much  of  solemn  and  sacred 
duty ; — solemn,  inasmuch  as  the  authority  conferred  upon 
you,  approaches  nearer  to  absolute  authority,  than  that  of 
any  other  which  man  can  lawfully  sustain  ; — and  sacred, 
inasmuch  as  this  authority  has  not  only  been  conferred 
upon  you  by  God,  but  to  Him,  for  the  exercise  or  neglect 
of  it,  you  are  at  last  to  render  an  account. 

Solemnity  of  mind,  I  admit,  is  not  natural,  and  often 


CONCLUDING  ADDRESS.  397 

not  welcome,  to  man  ;  but  as  no  disposition  of  mind  is 
more  favorable  for  the  accomplishment  of  duty,  surely  you 
will  not  object  to  the  means  of  promoting  it  ? — Contem- 
plate then,  at  least  occasionally,  the  extent  of  your  author- 
ity as  a  Parent.  This  will  not  only  evince  the  truth  of  all 
that  has  been  advanced,  so  far  as  that  is  consonant  with 
Scripture,  but  it  will  solemnize  and  prepare  your  mind  for 
the  various  duties  imposed  upon  you.  Say  to  yourself, — 
"  Although  the  extent  of  my  dominion  is  the  smallest  upon 
earth,  why  is  the  authority  given  me  the  most  extensive 
out  of  heaven  ?  Within  my  own  family,  there  is  no  one 
who  can,  none  who  should  dispute  this  with  me  ;  and  of 
those  around  my  dwelling,  from  the  highest  authority  in 
the  state  to  my  next  door  neighbor,  there  is  no  one  dis- 
posed to  interfere.  Above  myself,  upon  earth,  there  is 
none;  and  to  myself  I  sometimes  feel  as  though,  in  this 
matter,  I  were  only  next  under  God."  True,  as  it  regards 
mankind  in  general,  whatever  be  your  station,  low  or  high, 
as  Parents,  unquestionably,  you  are  next  under  God — even 
that  God  whose  name  is  "  Jealous  "  and  "  the  Father  of 
Mercies."  An  office-bearer  in  the  kingdom  of  God,  the 
Minister  of  Christ,  who  has  to  watch  for  souls,  stands  on 
more  serious  ground  ;  but  with  this  one  exception — a 
position  more  solemn  than  yours,  as  it  regards  relative 
duty,  I  confess  I  am  unable  to  conceive. 

The  extent  of  your  authority,  however,  is  not  the  only 
consideration,  which  is  calculated  to  increase  in  you 
solemnity  of  mind.  By  whom  was  this  authority  lodged 
in  you,  and  for  what  end  was  it  so  deposited  ?  No  human 
power,  however  extensive,  can  be  absolute  :  nor  was  there 
ever  conferred  by  God  any  authority  on  man,  but  upon 
conditions  expressed  or  implied ;  and  if  much  is  implied 
in  your  very  character  as  Parents,  certainly  also,  in  the 
Word  of  God,  much  has  been  expressed,  in  direct  refer- 
ence to  that  authority  with  which  he  has  clothed  you. 
34 


CONCLUDING  ADDRESS. 

To  the  word  of  God,  therefore,  would  I  most  earnestly 
and  affectionately  commend  you  ;  and  should  this  attempt 
only  induce  you  to  use  it,  with  greater  care,  as  your 
invariable  and  habitual  Family-book,  my  end  is  gained. 
The  Scriptures  alone,  be  assured,  at  once  properly  and 
perfectly  can  instruct  you,  into  the  real  character  and  full 
extent  of  this  connection  between  Father  and  Child. 
They  alone,  without  mistake,  impartially  and  fully  explain 
the  obligations  of  either  party  ;  and  they  alone  furnish 
motives  sufficiently  powerful  to  secure  the  regular,  and 
even  delightful  performance  of  all  that  is  incumbent :  they 
alone  strikingly  paint  to  you,  without  exaggeration,  in- 
stances of  failure,  whether  of  bad  or  even  good  men, 
ending  in  exquisite  misery  to  themselves,  and  in  the 
recorded  displeasure  of  God  himself;  as  well  as  instances 
of  remarkable  success,  ending  in  blessings  to  unborn 
generations. 

Thus,  after  all,  you  observe  the  advantages  conferred 
upon  you,  as  far  as  monition  and  encouragement  go,  are 
equal  to  all  your  responsibility,  great,  confessedly,  as  that 
responsibility  is.  Nor  is  even  this  all  :  there  are  two  con- 
siderations to  which,  in  concluding  this  volume,  I  would 
invite  your  particular  attention,  as  involving  the  most 
powerful  encouragements  which  can  be  conceived.  They 
are  encouragements,  too,  which,  as  with  outstretched  hand 
and  pointing  finger,  are  presented  to  you  from  above ; 
while,  at  the  same  time,  they  still  farther  unfold  the  inter- 
esting and  singular  character  of  that  constitution  of  things, 
which  it  has  been  the  design  of  these  pages  to  illustrate. 
I  refer  to  the  power  of  affirmation  or  testimony,  which  is 
lodged  in  your  hands  alone,  with  reference  to  your  Chil- 
dren ;  and  the  promised  blessing  of  God,  upon  your 
exertions  as  a  Parent. 

1.  In  illustration  of  the  first  of  these,  let  it  be  remem- 


CONCLUDING  ADDRESS.  399 

bered,  that,  as  Children  have  every  thing  to  learn,  it  is 
absolutely  necessary  that  there  should  be  one  quarter,  in 
which  they  may  and  must  place  implicit  confidence. 
These  earliest  years  are  the  most  important  of  human 
existence ;  and  yet,  during  these  years,  the  Child  must 
depend  almost  entirely  upon  you.  What  does  the  dear 
little  prattler  know  about  evidence,  or  the  degrees  of  it  ? 
and  if  his  faith  were  to  depend  on  evidence,  what  would 
become  of  himself  personally,  and  what  would  become  of 
the  time  and  patience  of  his  Parents? — In  short,  the  stock 
of  faith,  or  implicit  dependence,  which  he  requires,  until 
he  reach,  perhaps,  his  twelfth  or  fourteenth  year,  may  be 
said  to  be  more  than  he  requires  afterwards. 

Now,  who  is  it  that  has  instinctively  qualified  him  for 
reliance,  for  implicit  reliance  on  your  testimony?  For 
see,  if  you  conduct  yourself  wisely,  notwithstanding  all 
the  corruption  of  human  nature,  see  how  absolute  is  your 
sway  over  this  little  immortal  being  !  See  how  instinc- 
tively he  watches  you,  and  follows,  and  imitates!  See 
how  he  looks  at  your  face,  and  your  hands,  and  all  your 
motions !  Observe  especially,  at  certain  seasons,  how 
peculiar  to  him,  while  he  sits  on  your  knee,  is  the  very 
tone  of  your  voice !  And  what  use  are  you  to  make  of 
that  voice  ?  What  influence  are  those  tones  to  have  on 
his  ear?— tones  which  cannot  be  supplied  by  any  other 
individual?  And  how  singularly  providential  is  the  adap- 
tation of  this  infant's  mind  to  your  instructions,  when  it  is 
observed  that  mere  testimony  or  affirmation  is  all  that  is 
wanted — for  upon  your  simple  affirmation  he  confidently, 
and  without  hesitation,  relies?  Only  treat  him  with  fair- 
ness and  integrity ;  inform  yourself,  accurately,  of  what 
you  wish  to  inform  him ;  and  though  he  will  charm  you, 
and  affect  you,  and  even  puzzle  you  with  inquiries,  still 
he .  will  receive  your  testimony.  Though  he  may,  and 
will,  early  evince  that  he  is  a  sinner — that  he  has  a  will 


400  CONCLUDING  ADDRESS. 

of  his  own,  and  is  but  too  prone  to  disobedience ;  still, 
after  all,  acting  as  has  been  stated,  long  will  it  be  before 
he  will  doubt  your  word  !  Go  on  then.  If  you  really 
desire  to  make  the  most  of  the  day,  set  out  early  in  the 
morning.  Go  on,  filling  and  informing  his  mind — storing 
it  with  truth  and  facts,  but,  above  all,  heavenly  truth ; 
and  he  will  receive  all,  without  any  hesitation,  as  far  as 
his  memory  and  understanding  can  go.  Yield  to  the 
glow  of  parental  love,  and  pour  forth  valuable  instruction 
on  his  infant  mind,  with  all  the  tenderness  and  warmth  of 
which  you  are  capable.  Long  after  you  are  cold  in  the 
grave  will  these  tones  of  yoursx  and  these  truths,  and  all 
your  favorite  maxims,  nay,  your  very  smiles,  and  sighs,  or 
tears,  will  return  upon  him.  Then,  too,  will  these  facts, 
which  he  is  daily  verifying,  and  these  truths,  enforced  in 
the  days  of  infancy,  by  all  that  was  tender  and  impressive 
in  a  Parent's  voice  ; — then  will  they  remain,  and  produce 
impressions  more  indelible  than  any  of  their  successors; 
nay,  even  when  he  becomes  his  own  master,  and  can 
range  abroad,  and  receive  instruction  from  teachers  and 
companions  of  his  own  selection,  then  indeed,  if  you  have 
done  your  duty,  will  he  ascertain,  that  you  stood  in  such 
a  relation  to  him  as  no  one  else  ever  can  occupy.  In  this 
sense  it  may  with  truth  be  said,  though  he  should  have 
ten  thousand  instructors  in  future  life,  yet  can  he  have 
but  one  Father.* 


*  Here  I  am  fully  aware,  that  there  is  scarcely  a  more  common 
complaint  in  regard  to  a  disobedient  child,  than  that  he  will  not 
listen  to  advice,  to  remonstrance,  or  entreaty.  But  this  complaint, 
I  am  afraid,  in  ninety -nine  cases  out  of  a  hundred,  is  very  far  from 
being  fair.  As  well  might  the  negligent  keeper  of  an  orchard  com- 
plain, that  his  branches  will  not  yield  to  be  trained.  Jn  such  a  case 
you  would  say — "  My  friend,  all  this  is  idle  talk  ;  your  season  is 
over  and  gone  ;  you  have  been  absent,  or  unequal,  or  negligent,  at 
a  former  period.  Where  were  you  when  these  branches  were 
twigs  ?  Where,  when  they  might  have  been  trained  with  a  hair, 


CONCLUDING  ADDRESS.  401 

Now,  with  a  power  such  as  this  in  possession,  should 
Parents  prove,  I  do  not  say  disobedient,  but  merely  inat- 
tentive to  the  order  of  heaven  and  the  appointment  of  the 
Almighty  ;  surely,  surely,  you  can  feel  no  surprise  if  you 
see  the  curse  scatter  itself  from  them  by  virtual  contact 
and  the  channel  of  relationship — no  surprise  when  you 
see  such  Parents  leave  behind  them  a  series  of  crimes, 
with  their  appropriate  punishments,  to  be  divided,  by 
entail,  among  their  Children ;  ay,  and  if  these  Children 
approve  the  deeds  of  their  Parents,  I  may  safely  add, 
among  their  Children's  Children !  Nor,  however  much 
this  sad  entail  may  be  lamented  by  other  relations,  and 
they  may  somewhat  mitigate  its  pressure,  can  even  their 
united  efforts  ever  entirely  break  it !  An  appeal  to  the 

and  when  they  bent  at  your  breath  ?  So  is  it  in  general  with  these 
inattentive  or  regardless  Children,  now  indeed  so  loudly  complained 
of.  They  are  proofs  of  some  previous  delinquency  on  the  part  of 
their  ordained  guardians— assuredly  not  proofs  of  the  powerlessness 
or  inefficacy  of  parental  instruction." 

But  is  there  no  contrast  to  all  this  ?  Certainly  there  is — many  a 
triumphant  one  ;  and  many  more  there  might  be.  Observe  that 
Parent  who  assiduously  improves  his  earliest  opportunities ;  his 
family  illustrates  the  truth  of  all  that  has  been  said  :  for  what  is  the 
reason  that  the  Parent  has  such  a  hold  of  the  Infant  and  Child,  and 
so  little  of  the  Youth  ?  And  what  the  reason,  that  his  instructions 
or  warnings  are  so  marvellously  powerful  in  the  one  case,  and  so 
powerless  in  the  other?  Why,  because  in  the  latter  case,  the  sea- 
son of  God's  appointment  had  in  some  way  been  disregarded ;  in 
the  former,  it  had  been  seized  and  improved,  when  instruction  was 
easily  taken  in  and  hardly  lost  again.  Hardly,  did  I  say  ?  I  may 
go  farther  than  this,  and  with  great  safety.  If  due  care  is  taken,  to 
your  joy  you  will  find,  that,  so  far  from  your  early  impressions  on 
your  Child  failing,  subsequent  impressions  serve  rather  to  indent 
the  former,  than  to  efface  them.  Other  instructions  may  be  con- 
tained in  the  mind,  and  be  of  great  service,  but  those  of  the  Father 
and  the  Mother  were  imbibed.  That  which  comes  first,  takes 
almost  absolute  possession,  and  carries  with  it  all  the  authority  you 
could  wish  ;  there  being  no  antecedent  notions  to  dispute  the  title 
or  call  the  truth  in  question. 
34* 


402  CONCLUDING  ADDRESS. 

Almighty  himself  alone,  on  the  part  of  such  Children,  be- 
comes absolutely  necessary.  "  Be  ye  not  as  your  Fathers," 
said  Zechariah,  "  unto  whom  the  former  prophets  have 
cried,  saying,  Thus  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts,  Turn  ye  now 
from  your  evil  ways  and  from  your  evil  doings  ;  but  they 
would  not  hear,  nor  hearken  unto  me,  saith  the  Lord. 
Your  Fathers,  where  are  they  ?  and  the  Prophets,  do  they 
live  forever  1 " — Oh,  what  questions  !  how  cutting  and 
heart-searching  to  these  their  Children  !T— "  Our  Fathers," 
say  they,  "  alas !  many  of  them  lie  buried  in  the  ruins  of 
Jerusalem  ;  the  bones  of  others,  if  not  bleaching  in  the 
desert,  or  if  not  to  be  seen  rising,  in  many  a  mouldering 
heap,  on  either  side  of  the  way ;  lie  entombed,  far  from 
Judea,  within  the  broad  walls  of  Babylon."  And  the 
prophets,  do  they  live  for  ever  I  "  For  ever,  say  they  ; 
alas  !  our  Fathers  either  would  not  suffer  them  t6  live,  or 
embittered  all  their  days."  Well  then,  Jehovah,  by  the 
Prophets,  replies — "  But  my  words  and  my  statutes,  which 
I  commanded  my  servants  the  Prophets,  did  they  not  take 
hold,  or  overtake,  your  Fathers  ?  and  they  returned  and 
said, — Like  as  the  Lord  thought  to  do  unto  us,  according 
to  our  ways,  and  according  to  our  doings,  so  hath  he 
dealt  with  us." 

Thus  it  is,  as  an  old  writer  would  tell  you,*  that,  "  as 
from  the  eyes  of  some  individuals,  and  the  tongues  of 
others,  there  issues  an  evil  influence  ;  as  between  the  vital 
spirits  of  friends  and  relatives  there  is  a  cognation,  and 
they  refresh  each  other  like  social  plants ;  so  in  Parents 
and  their  Children,  there  is  so  great  a  society  of  nature 
and  of  manners,  of  blessing  and  of  cursing,  that  an  evil 
Parent  cannot  perish  in,  a  single  death  !  neither  can  holy 
and  consistent  Parents  eat  their  meal  of  blessing  alone  ; 
but  they  make  the  room  shine  like  the  fire  of  a  holy  sacri- 
fice ;  "  and  the  fire,  thus  kindled,  will  propagate  itself, 

*  Jeremy  Taylor. 


CONCLUDING  ADDRESS.  403 

and  shine  upon  other  walls,  long  after  their  pilgrimage  is 
ended.  Well,  therefore,  may  the  voice  of  rejoicing  and 
salvation  be  heard  in  the  tabernacles  of  the  righteous. 

2.  And  now  what  shall  I  say  of  tho  peculiar  blessing  of 
the  Almighty,  which  has  ever  rested  on  the  head  of  those 
Parents  who  have  fulfilled  their  natural,  and  reasonable, 
and  incumbent  obligations ;  and  in  exact  proportion  as 
they  have  fulfilled  them  ?  For  although  it  is  true,  that 
Jehovah  never  will  reject  the  forecast  or  the  labor  of  man, 
but  calls  him  to  be  heedful  and  diligent ;  still,  if  he  is 
defrauded  of  his  due  honor,  and  if  Parents  will  adventure 
on  any  thing,  only  upon  trust  in  their  own  wisdom  and 
strength,  all  their  toil  is  vain.  "  Except  the  Lord  build  the 
house,  they  labor  in  vain  that  build  it :  except  the  Lord  keep 
the  city,  the  watchman  waketh  but  in  vain."  For  a  Parent 
especially,  in  such  a  case,  "  it  is  vain  for  him  to  rise  up 
early,  or  sit  up  late  ;  "  he,  and,  it  may  be,  his  Children, 
will,  in  the  end,  only  "  eat  the  bread  of  sorrows  :  "  while, 
on  the  contrary,  the  Father  and  Mother  who  seek  su- 
premely the  divine  favor,  not  only  steep  with  serenity,  but 
secure  just  as  large  a  portion  of  earthly  good  as  is  con- 
sistent with  their  real  advantage,  and  that  of  their  Chil- 
dren after  them.  Any  man,  it  is  true,  of  a  careless  or 
indifferent  character,  may  leave  wealth  behind  him,  but 
there  is  one  important  question  which  follows — Will  it 
prove  beneficial,  or  a  source  of  true  enjoyment  ?  For  this, 
he  had  made  no  provision.  When  toiling  on  from  day  to 
day,  all  the  while  he  had  forgotten  that  blessing,  which 
"maketh  rich,  and  bringeth  no  sorrow  with  it;"  though 
there  is  not  in  Scripture  one  single  passage,  which  re- 
gards not  this  as  a  material  ingredient,  in  all  hereditary 
possessions.  On  the  other  hand,  whatever  be  the  rank  of 
the  good  man,  they  represent  him  as  standing  on  the 
highest  ground,  with  regard  to  his  legacy.  As  far  as  his 


404  CONCLUDING  ADDRESS. 

family  is  concerned,  he  requires  not  the  intervention  of 
wealth,  as  it  is  called,  to  die  well.  Has  he  been  pious, 
and  industrious,  and  generous  1  and  has  he  paid  regard  to 
his  family,  not  as  being  to  survive  him  only,  but  as  bound, 
with  him,  for  immortality,  and  soon  to  follow  him?  Then 
all  is  right.  Rich  or  poor,  such  a  man  must  leave  "  an 
inheritance  to  his  Children's  Children." 

Here,  however,  in  reference  to  the  divine  blessing,  it 
seems  impossible  to  forget  one  singularly-affecting  passage 
in  the  evangelical  history  : 

"  And  they  brought  young  Children  unto  him,  that  he  should 
touch  them;"  or,  as  Matthew  has  it,  "that  he  should  put  his 
hands  on  them  and  pray ;  and  his  disciples  rebuked  those  that 
brought  them.  But  when  Jesus  saw  it,  he  was  much  displeased, 
and  said  unto  them — Suffer  the  little  Children  to  come  unto  me, 
and  forbid  them  not;  for  of  such  is  the  kingdom  of  God." 

Christian  Parents,  who  dwell  upon  such  a  scene  as  this, 
and  these  heavenly  expressions,  must  surely  derive,  not 
only  instruction,  but  the  greatest  encouragement  from 
both. 

In  contemplating  the  scene,  you  cannot  overlook  the 
parties  who  brought  these  Children,  and  their  purpose  in 
so  doing,  however  dim  and  indistinct  their  views.  Luke, 
in  somewhat  amplifying  this  clause,  says,  "  they  brought 
to  him  also  infants ; "  as  though  he  had  said,  "  having 
seen  in  how  many  ways  He  could  remove  the  diseases  of 
riper  years,  and  infuse  vigor  into  the  decayed  limb,  or  the 
decaying  frame,  they  hoped  that  Children  also,  who  had 
before  them  the  whole  journey  of  life,  might  not  be  sent 
away  empty,  should  he  but  condescend  to  touch  them,  or 
lay  his  hands  upon  them.1' 

What  though  the  apostles  themselves  might  frown,  or 
censure,  and  forbid,  or  imagine  that  it  were  below  the 
dignity  of  the  Son  of  God,  to  notice  little  Children  ?  If 
ever  the  Saviour  was  displeased  with  his  disciples,  it  was 


CONCLUDING  ADDRESS.  405 

then ;  nay,  then,  it  seems,  he  was  much  displeased ;  and 
so  far  from  the  parties  who  brought  these  little  ones  being 
censured,  the  apostles  themselves,  under  rebuke,  must 
give  way,  and  stand  aside,  and  make  room  for  their  ap- 
proach. 

See  then  the  King  of  kings  take  up,  in  succession, 
these  Children  in  his  arms,  and  lay  his  hands  upon  them — 
the  ancient  and  solemn  manner  of  blessing  among  the 
Jews.  Surely  this  was  no  vain  show,  nor  did  the  Messiah 
pour  forth  his  prayer  into  the  air,  or  pronounce  his  blessing 
in  vain.  And  what  should  he  request  for  them,  but  that 
they  might  be  received  among  the  number  of  the  Sons  of 
God  ?  For  let  us  hear  it  again — What  were  the  precise 
terms  in  which  he  had  invited  their  approach?  "Suffer 
the  little  children  to  come  unto  me,  and  forbid  them  not ; 
for  of  such  is  the  kingdom  of  God."  Who  then  would,  or 
who  dare  shut  the  gate  upon  those,  or  even  neglect  them, 
whom  the  Saviour  will  not  permit  to  be  forbidden  ?  As 
Parents,  oh  !  what  could  you  desire  more  than  this  ?  Mil- 
lions of  infant  souls,  it  seems,  compose  the  Family  above  ; 
and  assuredly,  in  point  of  number,  such  souls  must  form 
no  insignificant  proportion  of  the  celestial  millions.  Re- 
gret not  now,  my  reader,  for  one  moment,  that  nothing  is 
here  said  of  the  Parents  of  these  Children,  either  as  to 
their  character  or  motives,  or  whether  those  who  brought 
them  even  sustained  this  relation ;  for  with  regard  to 
Scripture,  as  Mr.  Boyle  said,  its  very  silences  are  teaching. 
It  is  with  the  Children,  with  the  species  as  such,  we  have 
here  to  do ;  and,  blessed  be  the  Saviour  !  they  actually 
form  the  foreground  of  this  picture.  Though  never  regis- 
tered among  the  denizens  of  this  little  world,  that  is  now 
of  small  account  indeed,  "  for  of  such  is  the  kingdom  of 
God."  The  whole  species  are  safe,  and  beyond  the  reach 
of  wo. 

But  they  died,  say  you,  some  of  them  before  they  knew 


406  CONCLUDING  ADDRESS. 

their  right  hand  from  their  left ;  and  others,  alas  !  more 
advanced,  and,  therefore,  more  engaging,  yet  never  knew 
the  difference  between  good  and  evil.  Ah !  so  much  the 
better  for  them.  That  was  a  knowledge  which  carried 
your  first  Parents  out  of  Paradise,  and  this  ignorance  has 
not  prevented  your  Children  from  entering  into  it.  Thus, 
in  one  moment  of  time,  could  the  divine  Redeemer,  by  a 
few  magnificent  and  gracious  words,  remove  from  the 
parental  heart  a  load  of  anxiety — "for  of  such  is  the 
kingdom  of  God;"  and  as  for  the  tender  frame  so  soon 
consigned  to  its  native  element,  though  "  in  Adam  all  die," 
yet  "  so  in  Christ  shall  all  be  made  alive." 

Surely  then  this  must  be  regarded,  as  one  most  solemn 
and  delightful  indication,  of  what  was  originally  intended 
by  the  Domestic  Constitution  as  such ;  while  it  involves 
certainly  far  more  than  a  hint  to  Parents,  as  to  how  they 
should  conduct  themselves,  with  reference  to  Children 
who  remain  and  survive.  For  was  it  intended  by  the 
Saviour  to  speak  consolation  only  to  bereaved  Parents  ? 
Most  certainly  then  he  did  this,  as  they,  since  that  day, 
have  often  felt  ;  but  this  as  certainly  was  not  all :  he  had 
been  curing  others,  and  conferring  bodily  health  on  many 
who  were  beyond  the  power  or  skill  of  man's  device  ;  and 
the  blessing  he  now  pronounced  on  those  who  needed 
nothing  of  this  kind,  must  have  chiefly  referred  to  the 
great  inhabitant  within. 

Surely  then,  I  scarcely  need  to  remind  Christian  Pa- 
rents, that  Jesus,  though  anointed  above  all  with  the  oil 
of  gladness,  though  far  above  all  principalities  and  powers, 
is  "  the  same  yesterday,  to-day,  and  for  ever."  But,  after 
such  a  scene  as  this,  permit  me  seriously  to  inquire,  How 
you  have  been  acting  by  your  infant  Children  ?  Although 
no  mere  local  approach  to  the  Saviour,  in  the  days  of  his 
flesh,  constituted,  in  itself,  the  acceptance  of  any  one,  and 
though  no  such  approach  on  your  part  is  possible  now, 


CONCLUDING  ADDRESS.  407 

still  I  hope  you  know  that  you  labor  under  no  disadvan- 
tage whatever.  Is  Jesus  indeed  the  same  to-day  1  How 
then  have  you  been  acting  towards  Him,  with  regard  to 
your  Children?  Have  you,  I  do  not  say,  ever,  but  have 
you  often  taken  them  up  in  your  arms,  and  carried  them 
to  His  ?  Even  though  some  ill-informed  disciples  should 
forbid,  or  frown  upon  you,  has  your  imploring  eye  looked 
still  at  Him  ?  Then  be  not  dismayed.  You  are  aware,  I 
trust,  that  the  arms  to  which  he  looks  are  the  arms  of 
faith  ?  and  that  the  language  to  which  he  has  never  been 
known  to  shut  his  ear,  is  the  prayer  of  faith  1  Then  be 
assured — rely  upon  it — you  have  only  to  remember  also, 
that  it  is  good — assuredly  good,  both  for  yourself  and 
your  offspring,  thus  to  pray  habitually—to  pray  without 
impatience — without  undue  anxiety — without  wrath  or 
doubting ;  and  again  I  say,  rely  upon  it,  your  breath  will 
not  be  spent  in  vain* 

But  have  you  never  thought  of  so  doing?  Have  you 
done  so  under  some  vague  or  lingering  impression,  that 
He  cannot  now  lay  his  hands  upon  them  t> — that  He  cannot 
now  bless  them  ? — that  He  will  not  now  pray  for  them,  if 
you  only  ask  in  faith  ?  How,  then,  can  it  be  said  that 
you  have  fulfilled  a  Parent's  part?  Nay,  how  can  you  be 
said  to  believe  that  Jesus  is  the  same  to-day  ?  Ah !  and 
since  his  smile  and  frown,  his  complacency  and  dis- 
pleasure, are  governed  by  the  same  unchanging  principles, 
what  is  to  become  of  you,  if  you  so  proceed  ?  Did  he 
frown  ?  Was  he  much  displeased  with  his  disciples  for 
forbidding  these  people,  and  will  he  smile  upon  you  ? 
Smile  upon  you  as  a  Parent,  though  you  seldom  or  ever 
tread  in  the  footsteps  of  those  unknown  Jews,  who  were 
received  with  a  benignity  and  condescension  which  will 
be  for  ever  admired  ?  Certainly  not — it  cannot  be.  Go 
then  and  approach  him,  without  one  faltering  step.  His 
words  are  as  true,  and  they  beam  with  as  much  benignity 


408  CONCLUDING  ADDRESS. 

and  encouragement,  at  this  moment,  as  they  did  on  the 
day  in  which  they  were  uttered.  "  Suffer  the  little  chil- 
dren to  come  unto  me,  and  forbid  them  not,  for  of  such  is 
the  kingdom  of  God." 

Far  be  it,  then,  from  Christian  Parents,  who  read 
these  words,  to  lay  them  up  in  a  treacherous  memory. 
Assured  that  "  except  the  Lord  build  the  house,  they 
labor  in  vain  that  build  it,"  what  though  he  should  come 
and  take  away  one — and  another — and  even  another,  at 
the  season,  too,  when  they  are  most  engaging! — Still 
such  Parents  will  continue  to  regard  their  Domestic  Con- 
stitution, but  as  one  unpretending  scaffold  to  an  eternal 
building  !  And  though  a  scaffold  which  is  to  be  laid  aside 
when  that  building  is  finished,  their  object  now  is,  that 
their  family  entire  may  form  a  part  of  it.  In  such  a 
Family,  therefore,  it  is  not  the  statutes  of  the  Lord  only, 
properly  so  called,  which  are  converted  into  "  thanksgiv- 
ing and  the  voice  of  melody  " — the  voices  of  such  Parents 
are,  not  unfrequently  heard  in  union,  actually  responding 
to  these  affecting  expressions  of  their  unchangeable  Re- 
deemer : 

"  We  bring  them,  Lord,  by  fervent  prayer, 

And  yield  them  up  to  Thee  ; 
Joyful  that  we  ourselves  are  thine, 

Thine  let  our  offspring  be. 

If  orphans  they  are  left  behind, 

Thy  guardian  care  we  trust; 
That  care  shall  heal  our  bleeding  hearts, 

If  weeping  o'er  their  dust !  " 

So  far,  then,  from  forbidden  ground,  it  is  ground  to 
which  they  have  been  invited,  on  which  these  songs  are 
sung;  where,  fixing  their  eye  on  the  Saviour  himself,  en- 
couragements of  the  highest  order  are  scattered  all  around 
him.  For  his  sake  alone,  their  Creator  has  become  their 
reconciled  Father,  who  will,  with  Him,  most,  freely  give 
them  all  things.  Thus  have  they  actually  become  heirs 


CONCLUDING  ADDRESS.  409 

to  all  the  promises  ;*  so  that,  in  virtue  of  their  interest  in 
them,  and  in  virtue  of  that  singular  Constitution,  at  the 
head  of  which  such  Parents  stand,  they  enjoy  the  high 
and  signal  felicity  of  becoming  blessings  to  their  offspring, 
The  "Fathers  to  the  Children  make  known  his  truth." 
If  they  are  blessed,  with  believing  Abraham,  they  will  act, 
as  Jehovah  knew  he  would ;  and  so,  proportionally,  they 
shall  be  a  blessing.  Yes,  they  shall,  inasmuch  as  God 
hath  not  only  given  them  an  especial  interest  in  the 
matter  of  the  blessing,  but,  by  his  own  divinely-ordered 
Domestic  Constitution,  hath  given  them,  as  guardian  in- 
struments, peculiar  facilities  for  the  communication  of  it. 
Yes,  feeling  an  especial  interest  in  the  favor  of  God  them- 
selves, they  not  only  may,  but  they  do  present,  in  suppli- 
cation before  God,  the  promises  which  he  has  given :  in 
their  musings  and  their  supplications  afterwards,  they 
dwell  upon  the  terms  in  which  these  promises  are  ex- 
pressed, and  upon  the  absolute  character  of  these  terms — 
these,  at  one  season,  they  plead  in  the  hearing  of  their 
Children — and  at  another,  explain,  with  all  the  exuberant 
tenderness  of  parental  affection.  On  these  gratuitous  ex- 
pressions of  divine  love  and  mercy,  it  thus  appears  evident 
to  such  Children,  that  the  hopes  of  their  Parents  alono  do 
rest;  while,  to  them,  it  is  equally  apparent,  both  from  the 
style  of  their  petitions,  and  their  occasional  conversation, 
that  the  meritorious  ground,  on  which  these  promises 
themselves  depend,  or  the  meritorious  security  for  their 
accomplishment,  is,  in  their  Parents'  apprehension,  the 
dignity  and  the  death  of  our  divine  Redeemer- — the  only 

*  "  For  all  the  promises  of  God,  in  Him,  are  yea,  and  in  Him, 
Amen,  unto  the  glory  of  God,  by  us.  Now,  he  which  stablisheth 
us,  with  you,  in  Christ,  and  hath  anointed  us,  is  God ;  who  hath 
also  sealed  us,  and  given  the  earnest  of  the  Spirit  in  our  hearts." 
"  He  that  spared  not  his  own  Son,  but  delivered  Him  up  for  us  all, 
how  shall  he  not,  with  him  also  freely  give  us  all  things?  " — 1  Cor. 
i.  20.  Rom.  viii.  32.  See  Ephes.  i.  3. 
35 


410  CONCLUDING  ADDRESS. 

and  all-sufficient  surety  of  that  covenant,  which  is  ordered 
well  in  all  things,  and  sure. 

In  these  few  last  words,  however,  I  have  touched  a 
point  on  which  the  hearts  of  these  Parents  cannot  remain 
silent. 

"  Can  we  ever  forget,"  say  they,  "  some  of  the  terms  of 
condescending  invitation  by  which  we  came  here  ?  '  In- 
cline your  ear,  and  come  unto  me :  hear,  and  your  souls 
shall  live  ;  and  I  will  make  an  everlasting  covenant  with 
you,  even  the  sure  mercies  of  David ! '  Do  we  still  but 
imperfectly  know  the  advantages  of  that  peculiar  and  an- 
cient ground  on  which  we  stand  ?  What  though  Gentiles 
once  were  aliens  from  the  commonwealth  of  Israel,  nay, 
strangers  from  the  covenants  of  promise?  Surely  now, 
even  we  may  look  up,  and  say,  '  Doubtless  thou  art  our 
Father,  though  Abraham  be  ignorant  of  us,  and  Israel 
acknowledge  us  not :  thou,  O  Lord,  art  our  Father — our 
Redeemer ;  thy  name  is  from  everlasting.'  Yes,  it  was 
by  an  'old  path'  indeed,  and  not  untrodden,  that  we  ar- 
rived here :  the  ground  on  which  we  stand,  was  marked 
out  and  occupied,  even  long  before  it  was  'confirmed'  to 
the  Father  of  the  faithful.  Great,  too,  confessedly,  as  was 
the  blessing  conferred  on  him,  never  can  we  forget  the 
Saviour's  having  redeemed  us  from  the  curse  of  the  law, 
being  made  a  curse  for  us ;  '  that  the  blessing  of  Abraham 
might  come  on  the  Gentiles  through  Jesus  Christ,  that  we 
might  receive  the  promise  of  the  Spirit,  through  faith.' 

But  in  being  thus  strangely  permitted  to  call  our  Creator 
and  Governor  'Our  Father  who  art  in  heaven,'  surely  we 
forget  not,  for  one  moment,  the  glorious  peculiarity  of  his 
unalienable  character — that  he  is  'the  Father  who  judgeth 
according  to  every  man's  work  of  what  sort  it  is.'  In  this 
we  see  the  brightness  of  his  glory,  and  forget  not  that  our 
Saviour  is  the  Judge  both  of  quick  and  dead.  As  our 
Maker,  He  is  our  Governor ;  and  the  Fountain  of  all 


CONCLUDING  ADDRESS.     «  411 

being,  we  regard  as  the  Fountain  of  all  rights.  From  the 
first  moment  of  our  existence,  our  all  was  his — absolutely 
and  unalienably  his.  It  was  in  Him,  therefore,  no  defect 
of  title  which  induced  his  condescension.  Publishing  his 
very  constitution,  in  the  form  of  such  a  covenant,  how  can 
we  but  be  filled  with  profound  veneration  and  delight,  or- 
daining it,  as  he  has  done,  in  the  hands  of  such  a  Media- 
tor !  '  Ordered  well  in  all  things,'  indeed  it  must  be,  since 
He  is  the  surety — and  sure,  with  a  witness,  as  ratified  by 
his  blood.  Thus  it  was,  that,  inviting  our  poor  consent, 
he  hath,  blessed  be  his  name !  only  more  deeply  obliged  us 
to  our  duty" 

Let  your  eye,  then,  my  reader,  be  fixed  on  this  blessing 
of  the  Almighty;  for  this  it  is,  in  all  cases,  which  alone 
commands  success ;  nor  need  you  hesitate  to  implore  it, 
if  your  undivided  hope  rests  on  Emmanuel.  For  "thus 
saith  the  Lord,  the  Holy  One  of  Israel,  and  his  Maker, 
Ask  me  of  things  to  come,  concerning  my  sons,  and  con- 
cerning the  work  of  my  hands,  command  ye  me."  The 
arrow  of  such  a  supplicant  comes,  it  is  evident,  from  a  bow 
fully  bent ;  but  still,  if  you  only  pray  in  that  disposition  of 
mind  which  simply  corresponds  to  the  many  affirmations 
and  condescending  promises  of  your  heavenly  Father,  all 
will  be  well  with  you  and  yours.  What  though  all  flesh 
is  grass,  and  the  glory  of  man  but  as  the  flower  of  the 
field  ?  "  The  mercy  of  the  Lord  is  from  everlasting  to 
everlasting  upon  them  that  fear  him,  and  his  righteousness 
unto  Children's  Children — to  such  as  keep  his  covenant — 
to  those  who  remember  his  commandments  to  do  them." 


TO  THE  MINISTERS  OF  CHRIST. 

IN  closing  this  volume  with  a  more  immediate  reference 
to  you,  I  have  done  so  under  an  impression,  that,  if  there 
are  any  Parents  in  existence,  who  may  be  considered  as 


412  CONCLUDING  ADDRESS. 

more  interested  than  others  in  the  present  subject,  you 
are  the  patties. 

You  may  have  observed,  that,  throughout,  I  have  not 
confounded  Parental  Obligations,  or  the  training  of  Chil- 
dren, with  your  obligation  to  fulfil  the  commission  of  our 
common  Lord ;  that  I  have  not  confounded  the  Domestic 
Constitution  with  the  Church  of  the  living  God, — or,  in 
other  words,  that,  in  tracing  the  weighty  and  incumbent 
duties  of  the  Parental  Character,  I  have  not  confounded 
Christian  Education  with  the  work  of  the  Ministry,  nor 
have  I,  so  far  as  I  am  conscious,  ever  trenched  on  what  I 
believe  to  be  the  special,  because  the  ordained,  means  for 
the  conviction  and  the  conversion  of  a  lost  world.  This 
be  far  from  me.  On  the  contrary,  there  seems  to  me  to 
exist  between  the  successful  exercise  of  your  ministry,  and 
the  exertions  of  Christian  Parents,  that  fine  harmony 
which  is  at  once  apparent,  and  engaging,  and  useful, 
between  all  things  of  divine  appointment. 

Thus,  if  they  are  next  under  God,  with  regard  to  their 
Children,  as  Children,  you  also  are  next  under  Him,  with 
regard  to  the  entire  Family,  as  souls.  Upon  your  skill,  or 
discrimination  and  affectionate  fidelity  in  addressing  these 
Families,  much  depends  indeed.  Under  the  weight  and 
pressure  of  your  responsibility,  here  and  hereafter,  you 
occasionally  look  around  you,  and  say — "  Brethren,  pray 
for  us."  Now,  do  you  intend  by  this,  that  they  should 
pray  for  your  success  in  the  conversion  of  souls  ?  To 
whom,  then,  I  ask,  can  you  cast  an  imploring  eye,  with 
more  confidence,  than  to  Christian  Parents,  especially 
when  you  see  them  sit  before  you,  with  their  Children 
around  them  ?  Do  they  not  frequently  implore,  that  the 
divine  blessing  may  rest  on  them  ?  In  their  Family  devo- 
tions, on  some  occasions,  have  they  never  been  heard  by 
God  to  express  their  desires,  in  some  such  language  as 
this?— 


CONCLUDING  ADDRESS.  413 

"  To  thee  each  solicitous  hour, 

We'll  sigh  for  our  infantine  race, 
And  say,  O  protect  with  thy  power, 

And  bless  with  thy  Spirit  of  grace ! 
May  we  their  soft  Guardians  ordain'd, 

In  this  their  progressive  abode, 
With  ecstacy  see  we  have  train'd 

The  Sons  and  the  Daughters  of  God!  " 

None,  indeed,  but  a  Pastor,  knows  a  Pastor's  cares; 
but  where  will  you — where  can  you  find  any  Members  of 
your  flock  more  able  or  more  likely  to  sympathize  with 
your  incumbent  desire,  and  loudly -called-for  anxiety,  to 
be  useful  to  the  souls  of  men  ?  and  with  regard  to  their 
Children  especially,  you  well  know,  that  there  are  not  to 
be  found  in  your  audience  any  other  individuals  who  feel 
an  anxiety  such  as  theirs.  Lay  hold  then  of  this  feeling 
as  an  auxiliary,  and  you  will  not  do  so  in  vain. 

To  the  primitive  Church,  however,  all  the  Ministers  of 
Christ  profess  to  look  for  encouragement  and  a  Guide. 
When,  therefore,  you  cast  your  eye  over  one  or  other  of 
those  epistles,  addressed  by  men  inspired,  to  the  Church, 
as  it  actually  appeared  in  their  day,  can  you  help  being 
struck  with  the  distinct  recognition  of  the  Domestic  Con- 
stitution, in  all  its  connections  1  Husband  and  Wife, 
Parent  and  Child,  Master  and  Servant,  lie  embosomed  in 
these  letters.  Not  that  every  one  who  sustained  such  a 
relation  was  there  :  from  the  spiritual  nature  of  the  Mes- 
siah's kingdom  this  was  impossible  ;  though,  in  these  days, 
in  many  instances,  into  the  Garden  of  the  Lord,  the 
Family  tree  had  actually  been  transplanted,  with  all  its 
branches,  entire ;  and  from  the  style  of  address  to  each  of 
these  parties,  it  may  be  presumed,  that,  in  these  churches, 
there  were  to  be  found,  not  only  Masters,  however  rich, 
and  Servants,  however  poor,  but  Parents,  however  old, 
and  Children  of  the  tenderest  years.  To  have  seized 
upon,  not  only  the  extremes  of  station,  but  the  extremes 
35* 


414  CONCLUDING   ADDRESS. 

of  age,  was  one  momentous  feature  of  the  Church  planted 
by  the  Apostles.  Looking  over  the  broad  field  of  their 
exertions,  in  the  service  of  their  common  Lord,  we  seem 
to  hear,  not  only 

"People  and  realms,  of  every  tongue, 
Dwell  on  his  love  with  sweetest  song^- 
But  infant  voices  there  proclaim 
Their  early  blessings  on  his  name!  " 

But,  say  you,  where  now  are  the  households  which 
have  been  converted  in  a  day  ?  and  where  now  the  tens, 
nay,  the  hundreds,  not  to  say  thousands,  who  have  bowed 
before  the  voice  of  a  single  address  1  Ah,  where  indeed  ! 
Though  the  Lord's  arm  is  not  shortened,  that  he  cannot 
save,  nor  his  ear  heavy,  that  he  cannot  hear,  these  are 
questions  into  which,  at  present,  I  must  not  enter ;  but 
certainly  they  are  far  from  being  irrelevant  to  the  ministry 
of  us  all ! 

In  the  meanwhile,  however,  and  in  the  midst  of  such 
impotency,  let  it  be  our  wisdom  to  ascertain  principles, 
and  look  to  individual  cases.  The  skepticism  expressed 
by  many,  in  regard  to  conversion,  may  be  easily  accounted 
for;  some  of  them  affirming,  in  regard  to  the  heathen 
abroad,  that,  until  you  civilize  or  humanize  men,  you  need 
not  attempt  to  Christianize  them ;  that  you  must  make 
them  men  before  you  can  expect  them  to  become  Chris- 
tians. But  what  shall  we  say  in  reference  to  the  skepti- 
cism which  as  evidently  reigns  in  others,  with  respect  to 
Children,  or  young  people,  whether  at  home  or  abroad, 
while  waiting,  as  they  would  tell  you,  till  they  come  to 
what  they  choose  to  regard  as  the  years  of  discretion  1 
And  what  is  the  severe  punishment  laid  up  for  Parents 
who  labor  under  such  want  of  Christian  foresight — such 
want  of  faith  and  genuine  compassion  ?  Why,  that  these 
years,  for  which  they  idly  waited,  turn  out  to  be  the  very 


CONCLUDING  ADDRESS.  415 

years  of  indiscretion  1  This,  however,  is  an  old  offence  ; 
and,  alas  !  it  seems  but  too  common  to  corrupt  human 
nature.  You  have  already  seen  how  the  Apostles  them- 
selves stumbled  ;  but  "  there  is  no  flesh  in  man's  obdurate 
heart ;  it  does  not  feel  for  man ;  "  and  is  often  cold  and 
indignant  even  at  the  young  of  the  species. 

"And  when  the  chief  priests  and  scribes  saw  the  wonderful 
things  that  he  did,  and  the  Children  crying  in  the  temple,  and 
saying,  Hosanna  to  the  Son  of  David !  they  were  sore  displeased, 
and  said  unto  Him — Hearest  thou  what  these  say?  And  Jesus 
saith  unto  them,  Yea;  have  ye  never  read,  Out  of  the  mouth  of 
babes  and  sucklings  thou  hast  perfected  praise?  " 

No;  whatever  scribes  and  chief  priests  might  say  then, 
or  men  of  a  kindred  feeling  think  now,  the  Christianity  of 
very  early  life  is  a  subject  in  which  you  will  find  no  skep- 
ticism— no  hesitation  in  the  word  of  God ;  nay,  it  is  one 
upon  which  the  Saviour  not  only  looked  with  a  most  be- 
nignant eye,  but  he  still  holds  the  broad  shield  of  his 
protection  over  such  early  profession  of  attachment  to  his 
name.  After  having  set  a  little  Child  in  the  midst  of  his 
disciples,  and  finished  the  lesson  which  childhood,  as 
such,  suggested* — you  hear  him  say  in  conclusion — "But 


*  Such  a  period  of  life  is  indeed  fraught  with  instruction  to  the 
Christian  Parent;  for  nature  as  such,  whether  physical  or  moral, 
always  repays  the  labor  bestowed  upon  it.  The  Saviour  himself, 
who  sanctified  almost  every  object  for  the  instruction  or  encourage- 
ment of  his  followers,  here  leads  the  way.  When  very  young,  you 
may  therefore  most  profitably  regard  them,  as  appropriate  emblems 
of  those  qualities  which  are  the  effect  of  regeneration.  Then  you 
will  discover  but  little  or  no  disposition  to  take  precedence,  or  you 
will  see  them,  regardless  of  external  distinctions,  cheerfully  asso- 
ciating with  their  inferiors  in  rank  or  years ;  see  them  simple,  art- 
less, free  from  guile — without  the  love  of  money — without  anxious 
care,  yet  submissive  and  very  dependent — and,  to  crown  the  whole, 
disposed  implicitly  to  credit  either  Parent.  Let  me  ask,  where  you 
will  find  such  a  combination  of  qualities  in  those  of  riper  ao-e  ?  How 
then,  can  Parents  trifle  away  those  years  I  Such  neglect  is  like  the 
loss  of  the  spring  i»  Nature. 


416  CONCLUDING  ADDRESS. 

whoso  shall  offend  one  of  these  little  ones,  which  believe 
in  me,  it  were  better  for  him  that  a  millstone  were  hanged 
about  his  neck,  and  that  he  were  drowned  in  the  depth  of 
the  sea."  Far,  indeed,  am  I  from  taking  this  heavenly 
intimation  in  any  other  sense,  than  the  words,  in  their 
connection,  seem  at  once  to  convey.  Nor  am  I  surprised 
at  the  language  employed  for  such  an  offence.  What 
think  you  of  poisoning  a  fountain,  or  nipping  the  bud  in 
nature?  Christianity,  once  possessed  by  a  Child,  bids 
fair  to  have  justice  done  to  it ;  the  least  offensive — the 
most  engaging — the  purest,  and,  generally,  by  far  the 
most  useful  profession  of  Christianity,  is  likely  to  follow. 
Praise,  it  seems,  by  our  Lord's  reply,  admits  of  degrees — 
and,  it  also  appears,  can,  by  him,  be  carried  to  the  highest 
degree  from  the  lips  of  children.  As  an  evidence  of  the 
Messiah's  claims,  sufficient  even  for  such  a  moment,  never 
let  it  be  forgotten,  that  in  the  very  temple  of  old,  with  her 
priests  and  her  scribes  walking  around,  they  were  the 
hosannas  of  Children,  which  stilled  and  drowned  the  voice 
of  these  enemies  and  avengers. 

One  Child  in  particular,  however,  you  remember,  whose 
origin  and  history  seem  left  on  record,  to  illustrate  that 
divine  harmony  which  exists  between  domestic  obliga- 
tions, and  the  Christian  Ministry,  as  such.  From  the 
days  of  his  infancy  he  had  known  the  Holy  Scriptures; 
and  though  Paul  rejoiced  over  him,  as  his  own  son  in  the 
faith,  still  he  was  affected  greatly,  when  he  thought  of 
this  child's  obligations  to  his  Mother  and  Grandmother! 
Now  when  Parental  assiduity,  and  the  preaching  of  the 
truth,  had,  as  it  were,  embraced  each  other,  and  poured 
their  respective  blessings  on  the  head  of  Timothy,  what 
was  the  consequence?  Why,  that  when  but  a  young 
man,  he  was  capable  of  being  urged,  by  his  spiritual 
Father,  to  reach  the  very  height  or  acme  of  all  Christian 
excellence.  "  Let  no  man,"  said  he  to  him,  "  despise  thy 


CONCLUDING  ADDRESS.  417 

youth ;  but  be  thou  an  example  of  the  believers,  in  word, 
in  conversation,  in  charity  or  love,  in  spirit,  in  faith,  in 
purity." 

An  "example"  of  these  things  did  he  urge?  But  are 
these  all  in  which  the  Minister  of  Christ  is  to  excel?  Or 
is  he  left  to  gather,  from  general  terms  only,  his  peculiar 
obligation  as  a  Parent  of  Children  or  the  Master  of  a 
Family?  What  then,  in  these  days,  were  the  qualifica- 
tions for  office?  Alas  !  my  friend,  what  reply  is  ready  for 
the  man,  for  even  any  man  who  is  able  to  stand  up  and 
say — "Look  to  the  Children  or  Servants  of  that  Minister! 
See  how  they  conduct  themselves,  and  judge  how  they 
must  have  been  trained !  Grace  he  cannot  communicate, 
nor  do  we  ask  him;  but  has  he  been  vigilant  at  home? 
Has  he  been  patient  and  moderate  at  home  ? — generous, 
or  given  to  hospitality,  and  not  covetous  ?  Has  he,  as  a 
sine  qua  non,  ruled  well  his  own  house,  and  had  his  Chil- 
dren in  subjection  with  all  gravity  ?  Whence,  then,  this 
lightness — these  expensive  habits — and  this  insubordina- 
tion ?  How  can  this  man  ever  expect  to  make  full  proof 
of  his  Ministry  ?  How  can  he  take  care  of  the  Church  of 
God? 

These,  my  reader,  if  we  are  wise,  are  not  provoking 
questions.  No;  they  are  but  the  reverberations  of  Infi- 
nite Wisdom,  corne  from  what  lips  they  may  ;  and  they 
ought  to  induce  every  man,  who  sustains  the  office  of  the 
Ministry,  or  the  office  of  a  Deacon,  frequently  to  observe, 
that  the  Great  Head  of  the  Church,  as  has  been  already 
noticed,  by  glancing  at  this  subject,  and  fixing  the  eye 
of  his  associated  people,  at  the  moment  of  induction  into 
both  offices,  intended,  while  providing  for  the  government 
of  his  own  Family  upon  earth,  to  bring  up  also  that  of  the 
Domestic  Circle,  to  the  highest  possible  state  of  perfec- 
tion. And  O  were  these  Families  once  but  what  they 
ought  to  be — once  but  what  they  might  be — once  what 


418  CONCLUDING  ADDRESS. 

the  great  Head  of  the  Church  hath  actually  demanded, 
and  what  therefore  he  must  expect  from  them — then 
indeed  would  they  prove,  in  their  respective  enclosures, 
like  so  many  "  trees  of  life  "  in  the  garden  of  the  Lord. 

For  such  a  consummation,  however,  though  not  a  ground- 
less expectation,  let  no  Christian  Parent  wait.  The 
frame  of  human  society  is  incessantly  giving  way ;  Fami- 
lies are  daily  breaking  up;  and  the  Church  universal  has 
yet  to  pass  the  scrutiny  of  an  omniscient  eye :  then  must 
every  man's  work  be  made  manifest — then  must  every 
man  bear  his  own  burden,  and  every  man  give  an  account 
of  himself  unto  God. 


INDEX. 


The  Name*  of  Individuals  are  noticed,  in  connection  with  the  Domestic  Constitution,  principally 

as  Parents  or  Children,  occauonally  as  Masters  or  Servant*. 

Page. 

Page. 

ABIATHAR,                              220 

Edwards,  President,        136,  138 

Abimelech,                               219 

Eli,                                   212,  223 

Abraham,  77-79,  82,  154,  206-21  1 

Eliezer  of  Damascus,               154 

Abuse  of  Family  Devotion,     323 

Elkanah,                                   215 

Affirmation,  Power  of,             398 

Faith  in  Christ  Jesus,249-255,  330 

Alfred  the  Great,              101-106 

in  Scripture,                     340 

Alpheus,  or  Cleopas,           90-92    Family  Blessings,                 71-79 

Andrew,  Apostle,                       85 

Connections,            28-59 

A                 4l<-»ci       T*  o  *•£»  t-»  i  o    f\f                                            ft/1 

Constitution             ^^  ^7 

/VpObtlcSj  JT  art;  Ilia  OIj 

Minister's             311   417 

A.U2T  UStinCj                                                  -l»50 

Authority,  Parental,        208,  301 

Power  of  the,         80-183 

Praise                            335 

T*             T      i                   '                  ?Vj 

Prayer                           318 

-  Lord,'                            136 

Punishments,         60,  306 

JVTi^n                                                                                             1   /IT 

Rcddinxr                        337 

Bates,  Dr.,                               136 

Worship'                       335 

Baxter,  Richard,              135,  136 

Fenelon,                                    135 

Beza,                                          136 

Filial  Piety  of  Jesus,                  89 

Boerhaave,                         122-124 

Flavel,                                       135 

Blessing,  descending,          71-79 

Gardiner,  Colonel,                   136 

peculiar,                   403 

Generosity,                                387 

Brainerd,                                   136 

Gospel  of  Salvation,                364 

Brother  and  Sister,              48-50 

Gratitude  for  the  Scriptures,  339 

Cecil,  Richard,         136,  141,  303 

Grotius,                                     136 

Mrs.,                               146 

Hall,  Bishop,                    136,  137 

Centurion,  Roman,                  157 

Halyburton,                                136 

Chandler,                                  136 

Hannah,                                    215 

Children,  Saviour's  love  for,  404 

Harmony,  Domestic,                308 

Cimon,                                        67 

Heavenly  World,                      365 

Conviction  of  Sin,            243-248 

Heber  the  Kenite,                    166 

Cornelius,                                 281 

Hemath,                                    167 

Cottons,  Family  of,                  136 

Henry,  M.,                                136 

Cowper,                            132,  135 

Herbert,  Geo.,                          136 

Cruelty  to  Animals,                 378 

Hervey,                                     136 

David,  King  of  Israel,        58,  93 

Hobab,                    *                   164 

Deborah,                                    155 

Hophni  and  Phineas,               216 

Devotion,  Domestic,                315 

Howe,  John,                             136 

Devotional  Spirit,                    351 

Humanity,                        112,  376 

Doddridge,                       136,  138 

Husband  and  Wife,             28-34 

D  wight,                             136,  13!) 

Huss,  John,                               135 

Mrs.                           146 

Hutchison,  Mrs.  L.,                 145 

Early  Christianity,          413,  416 
Ebedmelech,                             157 

Indulgence,  excess  of,             228 
Industry  and  Economy,          375 

Education,  provision  for,        189 

Infidels,  Parents  of,     '              148 

-pv            ,•                       or/i 

Children  of                 150 

Instruction   Religious              361 

of  Disposition,       360 

Interference,  dangerous,          184 

Edward,  King,                        106 

Isaac,                                  82,  155 

420 


INDEX. 


Pago. 

Jacob,                               155,  364 

Parents,  our  first,                 28-30 

Jael  the  Kenite,                        166 

Partiality,  baneful,                   234 

James,  Apostle, 

Pascal,                                130-132 

James  the  Less,                          84 

Penalty  descending,             60-70 

Jesse,                                   94,  319 

Peter,  Apostle,                           85 

Jethro,                                       163 

Philemon,                                  157 

Job,     '               42-45,73-76,153 

Praise,  Domestic,                      335 

John  the  Baptist,               97,  270 

Prayer,  Domestic,                    348 

\po"tle                               87 

the  Lord'"                     S410 

Jonadab,                              167-183 

Prophets,  Parents  of,                 92 

Jonas,                                    84,  87 

Raguel,                                       162 

Jonathan,                                      64 

Rechab,                                     167 

Jones,  Sir  William,          110-118 

Reins  of  Government,             308 

Joseph,                                        82 

Repentance,              239,  327,  329 

Joshua,                                      160    Ridley,                                       136 

Jude,  Apostle,                            84    Rolland,                                    227 

Judith,  Queen,                         103  1  Rornaine,                                   136 

Judea,  degeneracy  of,          15-21 

Rowe,  Mrs.,                              145 

Junius,                                       135 

Russel,  Lady,                           144 

Kristno  Pal,                       282-284 

Sabbath,  perpetuity  of,              46 

Labor,  division  of,                     192 

Salome,                                       88 

Lacharis  and  Aristo,                  67    Samuel,                             214-218 

Latimer,                                    135 

Saul,  King,                                 64 

Law  of  God,                    239,361 

Scripture,  Domestic  reading,  337 

T  onrnlnrr  inH    \Vifif1rvm                      '^(1*1 

j     i-mnrnfit'iKl  v      *^f*^ 

Linnffius,                        '    125-130 

^~A*        •«»  ^«i:«V?f     1AA 

Locke,  John,                             135 

connection  of,          321 

Luther,                                      136 
Manuscripts,  Boyle,                 347 

Key  of  Knowledge.  115 
Seasons  for  Devotion,              331 

Marriage,  Institution  of,            30 

Servants  and  Children,       57-59 

•  Design  of,                  30 

superior  and  inferior,  55-56 

Law  of,                 32-34 

Severity,  undue,                       226 

Mary  and  Cleopas,               88-90 

Simon,  Peter,                               86 

Master  and  Servant,             50-55 

Simon,  Zelotes,                           84 

Mathers,  Family  of,                  136 

Smith,'  Miss  E.,                        147 

Matthew,  or  Levi,                      84 

Solomon,                                       98 

Mayhews,  Family  of,               13(5 

Strangers,  in  Canaan,              169 

Melancthon,                               136 

Subordination,  Family,            3j01 

Milton,                               118-122 

Swartz,                                      136 

Morning  Devotion,                  351 

Taylor,  Jeremy,                         135 

Mother  of  Jesus, 

Treatment,  unequal,                 231 

Natural  Affection,  source  of,  188 

Truth  and  Sincerity,                371 

Nature,  Love  of, 

Usher,                                        136 

Negligence  ,  causing  ruin,  21  2-223 

Vanity  of  interference,            184 

Noah,                                     37-41 

Visit.ition  of  Parents,           60-69 

Obedience  and  Success,  206-211 

Washington,                     106-110 

Obligations,  Parent,  291,  315,  396 

Watts,                                        136 

Old  Age,  one  staff  of,              367 

Wisdom  and  Prudence,           368 

Onesimus,                                   157 

Witsius,                                     136 

Order,  Domestic,                      296 

Zacharias  and  Elizabeth,  98,  270 

Parent  and  Child,                 34-48 

Zebedee  and  Salome,           84-87 

Parental  Influence,            81,  396 

Zechariah,                                    93 

Piety,                         365 

Zephaniah,                                  93 

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//o , 

W- 


~ 


